Offering of Night
by Ulrich362
Summary: Minato Arisato, the fool who defeated the Goddess of Night. How did this happen, what changed the man who eagerly called for death's embrace into the one that fought to seal it from the world? The answers must be found in that fateful year. It's time for the eleventh member of SEES to join the fight.
1. Chapter 1

**Offering of the Night**

by Ulrich362

(Author's Note: I do not own the Persona series.)

How many years has it been since I gave up my life, two, five? It could have been an eternity and yet if I hadn't none of them would have gotten the opportunity to live the lives they deserved. All that remains for me is an eternity of holding mankind's desire for death away from the goddess of the night Nyx, a fate that I resolved to all those years ago.

"Have you finished your self pity for the day Minato Arisato?" questioned a feminine voice from behind me, Nyx the goddess of night. I still was amazed that even from the beginning she not only knew my by name but insisted on using it instead of merely calling me a human or some other generic term.

"If you're quite finished I wanted to speak with you about something, a way to possibly free you from the great seal, at least temporarily." Nyx noted. "Unless of course you're fine with never seeing your friends again."

"What do you mean, if I leave the seal than Erebus will reach you and the fall will happen." I argued. "As much as I want to see them I just can't, the price is too high."

"Then perhaps it's a good thing we can assist you in this matter." stated a voice I thought I would never hear again as a woman in a blue outfit stepped out of the darkness. "Hello again my dear guest, it's been quite some time since our last encounter."

"Elizabeth, how? What are you doing here?" I asked in shock. I knew she could travel here, she'd defeated Erebus on more than one occasion but something about the gleam in her eye made me realize something very different was going to happen this time.

"You possess the power of the Universe, as our master said nothing is outside the realm of possibility for you right now, and when you combine that power with a literal goddess a miracle may very well occur." explained a man in a similar outfit to Elizabeth.

"My younger brother is correct, you see we've been discussing potential ways to undo the great tragedy that struck your life, and we may have found one." Elizabeth exclaimed cheerfully.

A way to break free of the great seal, if this is true of course I'll try it. The only question is what kind of catch could there possibly be.

"You clearly didn't lose any brain cells during your time as my prison." Nyx mocked. "Though yes there is a small catch, I want to know what changed you over the course of that year."

"Changed me, what are you talking about?" I asked in confusion.

"Prior to your arrival in Iwatodai and your experiences with the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, you were one of the people most strongly calling to Nyx, however after one year you chose to give up your own life to prevent her from destroying the world." Theodore explained.

"In short Theodore will be taking my place as the bringer of the fall while I join you and your fellow SEES's members on earth." Nyx clarified.

"Should Nyx find the same change of heart that you gained during your time there the fall will no longer be a threat." Elizabeth finished.

"Alright, but what happens if she doesn't?" I inquired. "Worse what happens if she gets killed?"

"You'll have to make sure that doesn't happen then won't you?" Nyx pointed out. "Now then, is this something you're willing to try? Keep in mind none of them will remember you and you'll have to relive the year you spent fighting shadows over again a second time."

A chance to see everyone again, and maybe even get the chance to live with them forever, I thought closing my eyes. "Alright, what do we have to do?"

"That's simple, you're going to transfer my powers to Theodore, every last one of them and then reset the clock." Nyx said. "Well then, this is sure to be a year neither of us ever forget."

"I wish you luck in your mission Minato Arisato." Theodore said calmly as a blue glow enveloped us before I passed out.

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"Attention passengers, we severely apologize for any inconveniences caused by the delay." Announced a voice over the train intercom. "The next stop is Iwatodai."

"Well Minato, are you just going to sit around all day?" Nyx asked.

I don't know what I was expecting; I knew if she was going to join SEES Nyx would have to take a human form, but she's one of the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

"What are you staring at?" Nyx questioned.

"It's just, well I wasn't expecting you to look like that." I answered. "I mean you could still be called a goddess."

"Oh, is that all?" Nyx asked. "Trust me I've heard it all before."

"Right." I answered quickly.

"Well, we should get going before it gets too late." Nyx pointed out while moving a piece of black hair out of her face.

"Yeah, right we have a long year ahead of us." I agreed before grabbing my bag. "Oh by the way have you thought of a name to use while you're in the dorm?"

"I have something in mind, now then are we heading to this dormitory or not?" Nyx asked.

"Right, after you." I offered as the two of us got off the train before an all too familiar sensation passed through my brain.

 _Thou art I… And I am thou… Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Universe Arcana._

"Is there a reason you keep spacing out or are you just doing this to irritate me?" Nyx asked just before the dark hour began. "I take it you arrived during the dark hour last time?"

"Yeah I did." I said calmly. Universe, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, if anyone would represent the Universe Arcana it would have to be Nyx.

(Nyx has made Minato Arisato an offer to escape the great seal by reliving his year in Iwatodai alongside her. Next chapter the two of them will arrive at the dorm. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)

(Author's Note: The first two or three chapters of this story will be slightly more dialogue heavy before Minato and Nyx awaken to their personas during the Magician Shadow Arcana battle.)


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, are we going or not?" Nyx asked impatiently.

"Right, just thinking about something." I answered quickly. "Anyway the dorm is this way."

As I said that I led Nyx towards the familiar dorm where we were going to spend the next year, the place where with any luck I'd be able to convince her not to cause the fall.

"Minato, there is one minor detail I should mention. You remember your friend Ryoji?" Nyx inquired.

"Yeah, he's part of you isn't he?" I recalled.

"Not this time, Theodore is the one who will bring about the fall." Nyx calmly clarified. "I just feel you should know that he doesn't have the memories that we do."

"So the only ones who know anything are you, me, and Elizabeth?" I inquired.

"Exactly." Nyx said as we walked up to the dorm. "Is this the place, it looks rather small."

"I guess compared to your last home but it's nice enough." I mentioned.

"We'll see about that." Nyx said before the two of us walked into the dorm only to see a young boy in a striped outfit standing behind the desk, Pharos.

"You're late, I've been waiting for you for a very long time." Pharos stated.

"Sorry about that." I said.

"It's fine, of course now that you're here you'll need to sign this." Pharos mentioned revealing a contract. "Nothing unusual just the usual stuff, 'I agree to take responsibility for my actions' and all that."

"Alright." I replied before a thought passed my mind. "Do you need both of our signatures?"

"Oh, I suppose that would be fine." Pharos guessed. "Just sign on the dotted line."

As Pharos said that, I took the contract and signed my name before handing it to Nyx.

"What's this?" Nyx questioned.

"It's how we can talk to our friend Elizabeth." I explained.

"I see, in that case I should sign as well." Nyx said before writing down a name and handing it back to me.

"Nami Xiang?" I asked.

"Nami Y. Xiang." Nyx clarified. "I trust you know why I picked that name?"

"Yeah, I do." I replied handing the contract back to Pharos.

"Time is truly a mysterious thing, it delivers us all to the same end." Pharos explained as the contract disappeared. "So now it begins."

With that Pharos vanished into the shadows.

"Who's there?" questioned a familiar voice. "Wait, you're…"

I turned to see the brunette girl I'd gotten to know so well, Yukari Takeba, standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Do you know us?" Nyx inquired before Yukari started to draw her Evoker.

"Takeba wait." said a second familiar voice as the dark hour ended and Yukari calmed down, Mitsuru-sempai. "We weren't expecting you so late."

"Sempai, who are they?" Yukari asked.

"They're the new transfer students, they'll be staying in our dorm until further notice." Mitsuru explained calmly.

"Is that a good idea, I mean…" Yukari started.

"I know, this is only a temporary arrangement while we find a more permanent place for them." Mitsuru said calmly. "My apologies for the confusion, we didn't expect you so late."

"I understand, there was a delay with our train." Nyx explained. "We actually just arrived and thought it would be a good idea to come to the dorm for the night. I'm surprised you're still awake."

"Oh well I'm a light sleeper so I woke up when I heard the door." Yukari clarified quickly.

"That makes sense we should all get some sleep." I said. "Oh yeah, my name is Minato Arisato and this is my good friend Nami Xiang."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Yukari Takeba a junior like you two." Yukari explained.

"A pleasure to meet you both, Arisato please allow me to show you to your room, Takeba can show you to yours Xiang." Mitsuru instructed.

"Right, come on I'll show you to your room." Yukari said politely before leading Nyx to her room.

"I'm sorry again about waking you two up." I apologized.

"That's not a problem." Mitsuru stated calmly before leading me to my room. "I advise you not lose your key, there are no spares."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you again." I said before entering my room.

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"Are you awake yet?" Yukari asked from outside my room.

"Yeah, just a second." I called before opening the door to reveal Yukari and a very irritated looking Nyx. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, Mitsuru-sempai asked me to help you two get to school so are you ready?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah." I said calmly. "Another rough morning Nami?"

"You know that I'm not much of a morning person Minato." Nyx explained. "Now are you quite ready so we can get going?"

"Yeah, after you Yukari." I offered. Just two days and then the Magician should show up, but if Nyx is with us, and Theodore is the one who's supposed to bring the fall then what's going to happen that night?

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"This is always my favorite part of the trip." Yukari said. "The view is amazing."

"I have to admit it, it is rather nice." Nyx admitted. "Then again personally I think it would look nicer in the moonlight."

"You think everything looks better at night Nami." I joked. "Well maybe on a day off we can see how it looks at night."

The moment those words were out of my mouth I regretted it as Nyx gave me the second coldest glare of my life; second only to Mitsuru's during the trip to Kyoto.

"Oh yeah, there's the school." Yukari mentioned before Nyx and I walked up to see Gekkoukan High.

"Impressive, the school is much nicer than our last one wouldn't you agree Minato?" Nyx asked.

"Yeah, you're right Nami." I answered. Then again knowing what's going to happen tonight and every other night the school takes on a completely new meaning.

"Then again, we'll have to wait and see how the year goes. I have a feeling it's going to be quite memorable." Nyx said calmly.

"Yeah, you're right." Yukari agreed.

If only you knew what she meant Yukari, I thought as we arrived at the school.

(Minato and Nyx have arrived at the dorm and met Yukari and Mitsuru. Next chapter they will meet the final student living in the dorm. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	3. Chapter 3

"Well here we are, hey you two won't say anything about what happened will you?" Yukari asked.

"Of course not." I answered.

"The thought didn't even cross my mind." Nyx noted indifferently.

"Great, oh yeah the faculty office is down that way." Yukari mentioned. "It's the first door on the right, you should go and see what class you guys are in."

"We'll do that, I appreciate your help Yukari." Nyx stated calmly before Yukari walked off.

"I'm guessing we're in the same class?" I whispered.

"You are attempting to show me what changed your mind, that requires I experience the same things you had correct?" Nyx inquired.

"Right, well we should go to the faculty office." I suggested.

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"May I help you?" Miss Toriumi asked as we walked into the faculty office.

"Yes, my friend Nami and I just transferred here and we were told to come here." I answered quickly.

"Oh, you're the new transfer students." Miss Toriumi realized before picking up a folder. "Eleventh grade correct, well it seems you're both in my class."

"That's quite convenient, wouldn't you agree Minato?" Nyx asked.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to have someone I know in the class." I answered.

"I see, well let me see here. You lived here before, ten years ago was when you…" Miss Toriumi started to say. "Oh, I'm sorry Minato I've been busy and haven't had the chance to read this yet."

"It's alright." I answered. "I understand you must be busy."

"Yes, well I'm still sorry about what happened." Miss Toriumi continued before picking up a second folder. "Nami Xiang, well this is certainly impressive. I look forward to having you in my class, of course there's the welcoming assembly before that, please follow me."

"Of course." Nyx replied.

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"Hey, aren't you the new transfer students?" asked another student. "You guys came to school with Yukari-chan right?"

"Yes, what of it?" Nyx questioned.

"So do either of you know if she has a boyfriend?" the student inquired.

"I haven't heard anything about that." I answered quickly. "She was just showing us how to get to the school."

"Oh, that makes sense I guess." the student said thoughtfully.

"I hear talking, it sounds like someone from miss Toriumi's class." noted a teacher from the stage.

Mr. Ekoda, or Mr. E, no wonder she doesn't like him, I thought.

"Quiet, you're going to get me in trouble." Miss Toriumi said in annoyance.

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"Oh hey, who would have guessed we'd all be in the same class." Yukari stated walking up to Nyx and me.

"Yeah, it's a nice coincidence isn't it." I noted. "I'm glad to have a few friends right away."

"Oh yeah, you're right." Yukari agreed. "What do you think Nami?"

"Well hopefully we get along this year, after all we do live in the same dorm." Nyx pointed out.

"Yeah, well hopefully this year goes well." Yukari acknowledged before a boy in a hat walked over to us.

"Hey, Yuka-tan funny thing we're in the same class again huh?" the boy joked. "Oh yeah, you two just transferred right?"

"That's correct, and you are?" Nyx questioned.

"The name's Junpei Iori, if either of you two need anything just let me know and I'll be sure to lend a hand." Junpei said with a grin.

"Thanks." I replied. "I'll keep you in mind."

"I wouldn't recommend that." Yukari said. "Oh yeah, you didn't tell anyone about last night did you?"

"Of course not. You don't need to worry about that." I answered.

"Minato's right, our lips are sealed." Nyx agreed.

"Wait a second, last night?" Junpei questioned.

"What, no it's not that." Yukari countered quickly. "Look, I might be used to those kinds of rumors but they're not alright?"

"Right, well anyway like I said if either of you need anything just let me know." Junpei said with a grin.

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"So that's what you do all day?" Nyx asked.

"Not all day, but I do have to come here. It's mandatory." I explained. "Though it isn't the reason I changed my mind."

"Clearly." Nyx stated just as Junpei walked up to us.

"Hey Minato, Nami, so how was your first day at Gekkoukan high?" Junpei asked.

"It was interesting to say the least." Nyx noted. "Hopefully things get a bit more interesting soon."

"Yeah, you can say that again." Junpei agreed as the three of us walked past a group of students. "Oh yeah, that's Akihiko-sempai. He's a senior and the captain of the boxing team."

"It looks like he's also fairly popular." I pointed out as a growing crowd gathered around him before he walked off.

"Man, what I wouldn't give to be that popular. I mean he acts like he doesn't even care." Junpei complained.

"He probably has his reasons." I suggested.

"Yeah maybe, well anyway I'll see you guys tomorrow." Junpei said walking off.

"He'll be joining us soon?" Nyx asked.

"Yeah, the day after the full moon." I answered recalling the day Junpei moved into the dorm.

"Well then, let's get back. The sooner the full moon comes the sooner we can start doing something productive with our time." Nyx said impatiently.

"Right, well then after you Nami." I offered before we walked back to the dorm.

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"Oh, are you two the ones Mitsuru told me about?" Akihiko asked. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Akihiko Sanada."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Akihiko-sempai." I said. "Our classmate Junpei told us you were captain of the boxing team."

"Yeah, well it was nice to meet you." Akihiko said before walking out of the dorm.

"Oh, you guys met Akihiko-sempai already?" Yukari asked walking in.

"Yes, does he usually go out after school?" Nyx questioned.

"Yeah, he's just going out for a run." Yukari explained. "He's always exercising to stay in shape."

"That make sense, well we should turn in early. I don't know about you Nami but I'm still getting used to living here." I said calmly.

"Alright, good night Minato." Yukari said calmly.

(Minato and Nyx have gotten through the first day of Gekkoukan high and are awaiting the full moon. Next chapter they will meet the director of the school. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	4. Chapter 4

"Why exactly do we have to do this again?" Nyx asked irritably.

"It's part of the year." I answered honestly. "Then again pretty soon we'll be able to go there so."

"I suppose you have a point, but is there anyway for it to go faster?" Nyx questioned.

"What are you guys talking about?" Yukari inquired.

"Just thinking about what the year could bring that's all." I replied.

"Well ok." Yukari said thoughtfully.

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"Hey, are you alright Nami?" Junpei asked walking up to us. "You look really tired."

"I'm just not a morning person, I should be fine later." Nyx answered before closing her eyes.

"Oh, I get that." Junpei agreed. "You can just sleep during class to get some of your strength back."

"Yeah, something tells me she'll be doing that fairly often." I noted.

"She shouldn't sleep in class all the time though." Yukari argued.

"I wouldn't worry, Nami will be fine." I countered. "I should know."

"If you say so Minato." Junpei said thoughtfully.

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"Oh, you must be the new transfer students." said a man in a brown suit. "I'm the chairman of Gekkoukan high school, my name is Shuji Ikutsuki. Ikutsuki, hard to say isn't it, even I get tongue tied sometimes."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I replied quickly.

"Well as long as I'm here do either of you have any questions?" Ikutsuki asked politely.

"No I don't think so." I answered. "What about you Nami?"

"No." Nyx stated calmly. "I assume we're to head to our room for the night once again?"

"That would be best, you two are likely still getting used to your new schedules." Ikutsuki guessed.

"If you say so, well goodnight Ikutsuki-san." I said calmly.

"Likewise, goodnight." Ikutsuki replied with a smile.

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"Hello there." said a familiar voice.

"Huh, oh it's you again." I responded. "Is this about the contract from before?"

"No, I just wanted to let you know that you will undergo a great ordeal tomorrow." Pharos explained.

"I see, thanks for the warning." I said politely.

"I wasn't expecting you to thank me, well you're welcome." Pharos replied before fading away.

Tomorrow, the day everything changes, I thought before drifting off to sleep.

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"Minato, I'm guessing we'll be heading there soon?" Nyx asked. "So far I clearly don't see how your heart could have been changed so quickly."

"I know what you mean, the year started slowly the last time too." I recalled. "Though if memory serves the first one shows up tomorrow."

"Though you still haven't awakened." Nyx pointed out. "Oh, that explains things."

"Yeah, well I'll see you tomorrow." I said calmly.

"Right." Nyx noted before walking up the stairs to her room.

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"What do you think Mitsuru?" Akihiko inquired. "Are either of them potential candidates?"

"It's hard to say, neither Minato or Nami transmogrified but there's still no way of knowing if either of the have the potential." Mitsuru replied. "Still I can see what he meant about Nami being more active at night, she didn't even start to rest until nearly midnight and even then it seemed as though she would have stayed up even longer."

"Well assuming she does have the potential that would make Nami quite a useful addition." Ikutsuki suggested.

"Maybe, we'll have to wait and see what happens." Mitsuru said thoughtfully.

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"Hey you two how are you guys handling living with Yuka-tan?" Junpei joked.

"Really, are you ever going to grow up?" Yukari questioned.

"Hey, it was just an innocent question." Junpei replied with a smirk. "Well anyway, this year's really been slow hasn't it?"

"I completely agree, I was hoping something of interest would have happened by now." Nyx noted. "Then again, the year is young so there's still some time."

"Yeah, who knows what the year could bring." Junpei agreed.

"Well I know that today brings more classes Junpei." I reminded him. "So we should probably get to class."

"Right." Junpei said half-heartedly.

"Who knows, perhaps things will look up soon enough." I mentioned.

"Yeah, that would be good." Yukari agreed as we walked into the classroom.

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"Hey Minato, mind if I ask you something?" Junpei asked.

"Sure, is something on your mind?" I replied.

"Well, it's just I've noticed that you came to school with Yuka-tan and Nami again today but you seem a lot closer to Nami." Junpei pointed out. "Are you two, well you know."

"Oh no." I answered quickly. "We're good friends that's all."

"Gotcha, well in that case do you think she'd mind if I asked her out?" Junpei asked.

"Something tells me that wouldn't be a good idea." I replied. Still, I hadn't even thought of that, what would happen if Nyx were to fall in love?

"Hey, are you alright?" Yukari questioned. "You spaced out for a minute there."

"Oh, sorry I was just thinking about something Junpei said." I mentioned.

"Please tell me you didn't let him get inside your head already." Yukari warned.

"No, nothing like that." I reassured her.

"That's good, we already have one pervert at this school we don't need another one." Yukari explained.

"I guess you have a point, so should we head back?" I inquired.

"That sounds good to me, let's go." Yukari agreed calmly.

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"Nami, is something wrong?" Mitsuru asked.

"It's nothing." Nyx replied. "I was just thinking that the full moon looked lovely tonight."

"I agree, it really does look beautiful tonight." Mitsuru agreed.

"I've always enjoyed the full moon." Nyx admitted. "There's just a kind of majesty in it."

"Wow, you must be quite the romantic." Yukari teased.

"I don't know about that, Nami's just more of a night owl." I explained.

"Yeah, I know." Yukari said with a smile.

"Well I think I'll turn in for the night." I mentioned. "Something tells me tomorrow will be a big day."

"Alright, well goodnight Minato." Yukari replied.

"If you don't mind I'll talk with Mitsuru-sempai for a bit before turning in myself." Nyx noted.

"Is everything alright Xiang?" Mitsuru asked.

"Everything's fine, I just thought it might be a good idea to talk a bit before turning in." Nyx explained as I walked up to my room.

(Minato and Nyx are continuing to go through the year at Gekkoukan High. Next chapter Minato and Nyx will awaken. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	5. Chapter 5

(Author's Note: This story will occasionally switch between Minato's POV and Nyx's POV.)

 _Nyx POV_

"What's on your mind Xiang?" Mitsuru inquired.

"I couldn't help overhear that your family owned the island where we go to school." I replied. "So I was wondering if you could have it take place later in the day?"

"Oh yeah, Minato mentioned you were a night owl didn't he." Yukari noted.

"Yeah, I've always been more energetic at night." I answered. Then again, being goddess of night should make that obvious.

"I'm sure there are quite a few students that would agree with your sentiments, however that's not something I can do." Mitsuru apologized.

"I see, well it was worth asking." I said calmly. "Goodnight sempai."

"Goodnight Xiang." Mitsuru stated calmly.

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"What do you think, they're definitely both experiencing the dark hour." Yukari pointed out.

"True, however we still have no way of knowing if…" Mitsuru started before Akihiko's voice echoed into their minds.

" _Mitsuru I found a big one but it's chasing me, I'm nearly back."_ Akihiko explained quickly.

"Wait, he's bringing one of them here?" Yukari questioned.

"Takeba, wake up Arisato and Xiang and get them out of the dorm safely, Akihiko and I will handle this." Mitsuru ordered.

"Right." Yukari agreed before grabbing her bow, a sword, and a naginata.

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This feeling, it's about to begin, I thought calmly.

"Hey, are you awake?" Yukari asked. "Sorry but I'm coming in."

As she said that, Yukari threw open the door and started dragging me downstairs.

"Yukari, what's going on? Is there some kind of earthquake?" I asked.

"Look, I can't explain right now. We just need to get Minato and leave ok." Yukari instructed.

"Alright." I answered before following Yukari down to the boy's floor where she handed Minato a sword and then escorted us to the back door.

" _Takeba, be careful there's more than one enemy."_ Mitsuru suddenly said into our minds.

"Huh, what?" Yukari questioned nervously.

" _The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw, get to safety as soon as possible."_ Mitsuru instructed.

"I hate to interrupt, but the door's jammed." Minato interjected.

"So now what Yukari?" I questioned curiously.

"Come on, we need to get to the roof. We can use the fire escape." Yukari mentioned before we were running upstairs.

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"Well this was a great idea." I noted. "Now we're trapped up here and whatever Mitsuru-sempai was talking about can easily find us."

The moment those words left my mouth, a black hand appeared over the edge of the roof.

"Huh, don't tell me that's…" Yukari started before several other arms appeared and one of them was holding a blue mask.

Well, things are finally starting to get interesting, I thought as the Magician shadow climbed onto the roof and revealed several blades.

"These creatures, we call them shadows." Yukari explained before taking her evoker to her head and breathing heavily.

Just before she pulled the trigger though, the Magician shadow created a flame and knocked her off her feet sending the evoker spinning to Minato's feet where he hesitantly picked it up and looked at it.

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"This is bad, we need to get up there and help them." Akihiko said quickly.

"Right." Mitsuru agreed as the two of them started to leave the room.

"Wait." Ikutsuki stated suddenly before Akihiko and Mitsuru turned to see Minato had placed the evoker at his temple.

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"Per…So…Na." Minato said before pulling the trigger as blue shards began forming above his head.

" **I am thou… and thou art I… From the sea of thy soul I come… I am Orpheus, master of strings**." Orpheus stated as it appeared above Minato only for both of them to suddenly start convulsing in pain.

Death is about to make its presence known, I thought calmly.

Suddenly the Magician shadow raised one of its blades and slashed at Minato sending the evoker flying from his hand just as Death erupted from Orpheus's body and started tearing the Magician shadow into pieces.

Now then, to see what my Persona will be, I thought while picking up the evoker and placing it on my own temple before taking a slow breath and pulling the trigger. "Persona."

" **I am thou… and thou art I… From the sea of thy soul I come… I am Hades, lord of the Underworld.** " declared a pale masculine figure in a black shifting suit.

Just as Hades appeared a blue glow appeared above him as my sword fell to the ground in front of me and Death transformed back into Orpheus.

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"What just happened, where did Xiang get that sword?" Mitsuru asked in shock.

"It looked like her persona created it, but I've never even heard of something like that being possible." Akihiko mentioned.

"Things look bad, you should go and make sure they're safe." Ikutsuki suggested quickly.

"Right." Akihiko agreed before running out of the room with Mitsuru.

"Interesting, these two may be the ones I've been waiting for." Ikutsuki suggested thoughtfully.

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"Minato, are you alright?" I inquired walking over to him.

"I think so." Minato answered weakly before two small shadows appeared from the corpse of the magician shadow. "We need to protect Yukari."

The moment he said that, Minato ran towards one of the shadows and slashed at it with his sword only for the other one to knock him off his feet.

"Hades, Mudo." I called summoning my persona and destroying the second shadow. (1)

Just as the dark spell destroyed the shadow, Minato's blade sliced through the other one.

"That's good, are you alright Nami?" Minato asked weakly.

"I'm fine." I replied. Wait, he should know that so why does he sound genuinely concerned?

Suddenly Minato collapsed to the ground.

"Huh, hey can you hear me?" Yukari suddenly asked running over to us as Mitsuru and Akihiko arrived. "Hey are you alright, answer me."

Not having a physical body must have taken its toll on him, somehow that doesn't surprise me, I thought as Hades faded away.

(The Magician shadow has been destroyed, but Minato has lost consciousness. Next chapter the first social link will begin. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)

(1) (Nyx's persona is capable of darkness and healing spells. Her special sword acts as a Mudo Amp passive effect on enemies not resistant, or immune to darkness. However she is weak to light and fire.)


	6. Chapter 6

"How is he sempai?" Yukari asked nervously.

"The doctor's seem to think that he collapsed due to exhaustion, he'll let us know if there are any changes in Arisato's condition and we're more than welcome to visit him in case he wakes up." Mitsuru explained. "Still that was unlike anything I've ever seen before."

"What exactly was that last night?" I inquired. I may as well play dumb, at least for now.

"Before I answer that, what would you say if I told you a day had more than twenty-four hours?" Mitsuru questioned.

"Excuse me?" I asked. Of course I know about the dark hour, it's when the shadows appear.

"Yeah, I felt the same way when Mitsuru-sempai explained it to me." Yukari agreed. "Then again, after experiencing it for yourself the Dark Hour isn't something you just forget."

"Dark Hour, you mean when the sky turned green last night?" I guessed.

"Yeah, and when those monsters show up." Yukari added. "They're called shadows, and we're the only ones who can fight them."

"Exactly, we'd like you to help us fight against the shadows Xiang." Mitsuru answered.

"To think I thought this year would be boring. Count me in sempai" I said. Still, if what she told me is any clue we won't be going there for a week so I may as well wait and see what happens.

"I'm glad to hear that, Takeba escort Xiang back to the dorm. I have a few more things to discuss with the doctors before heading back." Mitsuru instructed calmly.

"Alright sempai." Yukari replied calmly. "Don't worry Nami, I'm sure he'll be alright."

"That's good to hear." I said. Still why would he be worried about me, it just didn't make any sense.

"Yeah, so let's head back." Yukari suggested with a smile.

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"Can I ask you something Yukari?" I inquired.

"Sure, what's on your mind?" Yukari asked.

"Well it's just, why are you fighting those things? You would have died if Minato and I hadn't been with you." I mentioned. "It just seems dangerous."

"Yeah I know, but I have to fight them. It's the only way I can find out what happened to my dad." Yukari explained.

"Your dad, did something happen?" I inquired.

"You could say that, when I was younger my dad died in an accident." Yukari explained. "All I know is that he was working with the Kirijo group before the accident, that's why I have to stay so I can find out what happened."

"I see." I replied. "That must be difficult."

"Yeah, but I just have to hope that I'm doing the right thing." Yukari stated.

"I can't speak for your dad, but if I had to guess you're making friends and trying to enjoy your life right?" I asked. "Then something tells me he'd be proud of you anyway." (1)

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks Nami." Yukari said with a smile.

 _Thou hast created a new bond... Its true strength has opened to you... Thine power of the Lovers Arcana has increased._

What was that, I thought in shock. Well I'll just talk with Minato later.

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"I warned you that this wasn't just a game Akihiko." Mitsuru stated calmly.

"Yeah, I know. Then again how often do ones like that show up?" Akihiko asked defensively.

"She's right Akihiko-sempai, you shouldn't have been taking so many risks that's the whole reason you got hurt." Yukari mentioned.

"I know that, I just need to heal up so I can rejoin the frontlines." Akihiko declared. "Anyway, how is he?"

"Arisato is resting in the hospital, if his condition changes they'll let us know." Mitsuru explained.

"That's a relief." I added. Still, something strange is going on and I have a feeling Minato is the only one who knows what it is.

"Well for now we still have school tomorrow so we should focus on our studies." Mitsuru said. "I trust you two will be able to assist Arisato once he wakes up?"

"Yeah, no problem sempai." Yukari agreed.

"I wouldn't worry about him, Minato's always had a knack for picking things up rather quickly." I mentioned. "Well, I should turn in for the night."

"Alright, good night Nami." Yukari said with a smile.

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"Well, this is quite the interesting development. I never would have imagined we would have two guests at the same time." noted a long-nosed man in a suit. "My name is Igor, allow me to make your acquaintance."

"I must admit, I didn't anticipate you would sign the contract as well." Elizabeth said with a chuckle. "However the services we will be able to provide for you are more limited than those of our other guest." (2)

"What are you talking about?" I questioned. "Where exactly am I?"

"This is the Velvet Room, a place that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." Igor explained.

"At the moment you're sleeping in the real world." Elizabeth added. "I'm sure you have several questions but we should answer them when both of you have the chance to come back together."

The moment Elizabeth said that a flash of blue light enveloped me before the Velvet Room disappeared.

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"Hey, are you alright?" Yukari questioned. "You look a little out of it."

"Just a strange dream, that's all." I replied quickly. "I'll be alright."

"Well if you say so." Yukari said thoughtfully. "Oh yeah, Mitsuru-sempai wanted to talk to you after school."

"She did, do you know what it's about?" I inquired.

"I think so." Yukari mentioned before looking at the clock. "Oh yeah, the archery club meets today so I'll see you later."

"That sounds good, I'll see you back at the dorm Yukari." I said calmly before she walked out of the classroom. I have a feeling I know what Mitsuru wants to see me about; then again it doesn't take a genius to figure it out.

(Minato is in the hospital recovering from the battle with the Magician shadow, and Nyx has formed a bond with Yukari. Next chapter Nyx will officially join the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)

(1) (Nyx is trying to find out why forming bonds with others was enough to completely change Minato's outlook on life and so is willing to act compassionate for now. She isn't suddenly extremely close to people or empathetic towards Yukari but is faking it in order to try and understand the bonds Minato formed.)

(2) (Nyx signed the contract and so is a guest of the Velvet Room, however she will not have the power of the wild card. The Velvet Room will allow her to get a better understanding of the social links she forms.)


	7. Chapter 7

"Mitsuru-sempai, you wanted to see me?" I inquired.

"Yes, I have a request to ask of you." Mitsuru noted calmly. "Simply put I'd like you to join student council."

"Are you sure, I don't have much experience with things like that." I mentioned. That's definitely not what I thought she was going to ask.

"I understand your concern, though I would appreciate if you considered it." Mitsuru replied.

"Alright, I'll give it some thought sempai." I stated.

"I appreciate it." Mitsuru stated calmly before walking off down the hall.

"Hey Nami-chan, do you have any plans after school?" Junpei inquired walking up to me.

"I was going to see if Minato woke up yet." I answered. "He hasn't lost consciousness like that in years."

"Wait, it's happened before?" Junpei questioned. "Is he going to be alright?"

"Hopefully, the last time he was out for a few days. That's why I wanted to see him." I explained. Well last time was when Death was sealed inside him and this was due to him awakening his Persona but I don't need to tell him that.

"Well let me know if he's alright ok?" Junpei asked.

"Sure, I'll let you know." I agreed before walking out of the school.

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"Hello, may I help you?" inquired a nurse.

"I'm just here to see Minato Arisato." I replied.

"Of course, do you need his room?" the nurse asked.

"No I'm a close friend of his and I know the room." I explained before walking past the nurse and entering Minato's room. "Still sleeping, I guess not having a body took its toll on you. Then again last time you took an entire year to get strong enough to hold me back so it should be easy enough for you to do it again and show me what made you change your outlook on life."

 _Thou hast created a new bond... Its true strength has opened to you... Thine power of the Universe Arcana has increased._ (1)

"Miss, visiting hours are almost over. You can come back to see your friend tomorrow." the nurse stated calmly.

"That's alright, I was just leaving." I replied. Another one, what's going on?

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"Oh hey Nami, Mitsuru-sempai wanted to see you upstairs." Yukari mentioned. "Though are you sure about this?"

"You mean joining your group and fighting against the shadows correct?" I inquired. "I'm sure, it's not everyday you shoot yourself in the head and the lord of the underworld shows up to fight for you."

"You might be surprised." Yukari mentioned. "Mitsuru-sempai and Akihiko-sempai are upstairs with your stuff, come on."

"Alright." I said before following her up to the fourth floor and into a large room.

"Good you're here." Ikutsuki noted with a smile. "When Mitsuru told me you were willing to join us I must admit to being hopeful at best, though I appreciate your decision to help."

"He's right, the more of us there are fighting the shadows the better." Akihiko agreed. "Especially if something like that happens again."

"Do things like that happen often?" I inquired.

"Not usually, but when they do having more people to help find out what's going on and try to stop it is always welcome." Akihiko answered.

"It sounds like there are questions you don't know the answers to then." I noted. Then again, I have my own questions so I can't say I don't understand the situation.

"That's true, which is why hopefully when he regains consciousness Arisato will join us as well." Mitsuru explained before placing a silver case on the table in front of her. "These are yours Xiang."

While saying that Mitsuru opened the case to reveal a red armband with the letters SEES written on it and a silver gun with the same letters.

"SEES, is that the name of this group?" I inquired.

"Yes, it stands for Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad." Ikutsuki explained. "Officially we're a school club, Mitsuru is the club leader and I take the role of faculty advisor. Though in reality we're dedicated to stopping the shadows. Though I'm sure Mitsuru already mentioned that."

"She did, so once Minato wakes up we'll see if he joins and then wait for another massive shadow to appear?" I asked.

"Not exactly, we'll explain more once Minato decides if he'll join us." Mitsuru clarified.

"That makes sense." I admitted. I should have guessed they wouldn't go to Tarturus without him, he was their leader the last time.

"So do you have any other questions?" Ikutsuki asked.

"No, I think I'm good for now." I stated. "Good night."

"Good night Nami, see you tomorrow." Yukari said calmly.

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"Hey Nami-chan." Junpei called walking up to me. "So how are you getting used to the school so far?"

"It's definitely different than anything I've been to before." I admitted. Considering it's my first school that's no surprise.

"Yeah, I guess you've got a point. Gekkoukan isn't like any other school, I mean it's on a man made island and you have the Kirijo group running things so yeah it's pretty impressive." Junpei agreed. "Oh yeah what did Mitsuru-sempai want to talk to you about yesterday?"

"Yesterday, oh she wanted my help with student council. I told her I'd give it some thought and let her know." I explained.

"Really, so do you think you'll join?" Junpei questioned.

"Maybe a bit later, once I'm more familiar with the school." I answered as Mitsuru walked up to us. "Is that alright with you sempai?"

"It's fine, I appreciate your honesty." Mitsuru noted.

"Thanks." I said. "Is Minato doing any better?"

"Arisato is alright, though he's still unconscious there's nothing physically wrong with him." Mitsuru reassured me.

"I see, the last time this happened he was only out for a few hours so I was worried." I clarified. What's taking him so long to get up, the sooner he does the sooner we can get back to Tarturus, and the sooner he can explain what's been happening to me.

(Nyx has formed a social link with Minato, and received her evoker from Mitsuru, but Minato still hasn't regained consciousness. Next chapter Yukari will show Nyx around Paulownia Mall. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)

(1) (Nyx and Minato both form a social link of the Universe Arcana, however the nature of their links is different and so they develop at different rates.)


	8. Chapter 8

"Oh Nami, are you busy today?" Yukari inquired walking up to my desk.

"I don't have anything planned." I noted. "Why?"

"Well if you weren't busy I was thinking we could head to Paulownia Mall." Yukari suggested.

"Paulownia, why not." I agreed. Maybe spending more time with Yukari will help me understand what's been going on.

"Cool, let's go." Yukari said with a smile.

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"Karaoke?" I inquired. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, it might be fun." Yukari explained while walking up to the mike. "Besides we can head to the hospital afterwards and see if Minato's woken up yet."

"I suppose you have a point." I admitted. "So after you."

"Alright, sure thing." Yukari joked before walking up to the microphone. "Ok which song should I try?"

This is pointless, how in the world could this have changed Minato's mind about the fall, if anything living under these circumstances would make me long for it to come sooner. Then again there's still that voice in my head that I need to ask him about, and admittedly this is better than being sealed away for eternity.

"Hey, who are you beautiful?" asked a drunken man.

"Leave her alone creep." Yukari stated walking up and shoving the man aside. "Come on Nami, let's get out of here."

"Back off, I wasn't talking to you." the drunken man snapped before shoving Yukari. "Now that, where were we?"

"Leaving." I answered while helping Yukari to her feet as we left. "I'm going to guess that's not how people normally act in there?"

"Yeah, sorry you had to see that." Yukari apologized. "Let's head somewhere else, hopefully he's too drunk to follow us."

"With any luck." I agreed. Yet another reason to want the fall, at this point something miraculous must have happened to him.

"Why don't we stop by Chagall before heading to the hospital, they have great stuff there." Yukari offered.

"Maybe after we see Minato, he might have woken up." I mentioned. At least with any luck he will have.

"Alright, let's go." Yukari replied calmly.

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"I'm sorry, but there hasn't been any development with your friend's condition." a nurse explained. "He isn't injured as far as we can tell but he still hasn't regained consciousness."

"Oh, well is it alright if we went in to see him then?" Yukari asked.

"That should be fine, just let us know if anything happens." the nurse instructed as we walked into Minato's room.

"He looks peaceful, at least there's that." I noted. This is beginning to drag on, and that other boy has yet to come to the dorm.

"Yeah, I'm a little jealous. He doesn't have to worry about all that yet, hopefully Mitsuru-sempai doesn't try to force him to join us." Yukari mentioned.

"I wouldn't worry about that, if I know Minato he'll probably join once he gets up." I noted. Obviously, if he didn't he wouldn't have sealed me in the first place.

"Well if you're sure, that's definitely a relief." Yukari admitted. "I think I'm going to stay here for a bit longer alright?"

"That's fine with me." I answered before leaving only to see a blue butterfly land on Minato's forehead.

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 _Minato's POV_

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." said an old man with an extremely long nose wearing a suit. "My name is Igor, I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

"The pleasure is all mine." I replied respectfully.

"My assistant has taken the liberty of informing me of your situation." Igor explained. "However while your potential is as great as it has been, your body is unable to manifest that power."

"In other words you need to build up your strength before your more powerful personas will be available to you." Elizabeth clarified.

"That's great, and what about my social links?" I inquired. "Well apart from the new one."

"They have all been reset due to your return to the past. The bonds you will soon form are yet to be made." Igor stated. "However, your new bond may be the key to your new destiny. As before we will assist you in any way we are able."

"I appreciate the help." I admitted.

"There is one other small detail, your physical body is still recovering from the stress of awakening to your power. As a result, you may be called back here again alongside our other guest prior to waking up in the real world." Igor explained as the Velvet Room slowly faded away.

"Wait other guest, you mean Nyx is also the wi…" I started to say as a blue light filled my vision.

"Until we meet again." Igor stated calmly.

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 _Nyx's POV_

"Is there something on your mind Nami?" Akihiko inquired.

"It's nothing." I replied. It's been three days since he passed out, how long is he planning on sleeping like this?

"If you say so." Akihiko said. "Oh yeah Yukari mentioned that this isn't the first time Minato's lost consciousness."

"Oh that, when we were younger there was an incident where he passed out for a few hours." I fabricated quickly. "I'm actually starting to get a bit worried."

Suddenly someone started knocking at the door to the dorm.

"Were you expecting someone Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked as the person continued pounding on the door.

"No." Akihiko answered. "Alright already I'll be right there."

As he said that, Akihiko walked up to the door to reveal the drunken man from the Karaoke shop.

"Excuse me, does a girl named…" the drunken man started before stumbling against the wall. "Named Nami live here?"

"You followed me, where's Yukari?" I questioned before rolling my eyes in thought. Wonderful, yet another reason not to bring the fall, at this rate I might even live here permanently.

"Who cares, you're way hotter than she was anyway." the drunken man said. "Now come on let's head back to the mall."

"You again?" Yukari asked walking up to the dorm. "We said no remember?"

"Shut up, nobody was asking you." the drunken man said before reaching to grab Yukari only to get knocked unconscious by Akihiko.

"Thanks sempai, that creep must have followed Nami to the hospital and then back here." Yukari explained.

"I see, well I assure you that won't be happening again." Mitsuru said calmly.

(Nyx is continuing to wait for Minato to wake up, and Minato has been informed that the residents of the Velvet Room know of what he is trying to do. Next chapter Nyx will arrive in the Velvet Room for the first time. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	9. Chapter 9

"Forgive my intrusion, but I couldn't help overhear what was going on." Ikutsuki mentioned walking down the stairs. "I'm sorry to hear you had such a poor experience so early in the year."

"It's alright." I replied.

"No it isn't, he followed you home. What would have happened if he hadn't waited until you got into the dorm?" Yukari questioned.

"That wouldn't have been an issue." Mitsuru declared simply.

"I appreciate that Mitsuru-sempai." I replied. "It's been a long day though so I think I'll turn in for the night."

"That's understandable, good night Xiang." Mitsuru noted calmly.

"Good night." I stated politely before noticing a blue butterfly out of the corner of my eye.

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"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Igor said with a small chuckle.

"Velvet Room, what exactly is this place?" I inquired curiously.

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." Igor explained. "It is a place that only those bound by a contract may enter. I believe you know what I am referring to?"

"The contract at the dorm, so Minato can come here too." I noted.

"Yes, though for now his body is still recovering from awakening to his power." Igor noted. "He should regain consciousness in your world soon enough."

"I see, and what exactly is the purpose of this room?" I asked.

"We provide services to our guests in order to help them along their journey." Igor stated. "Now then, perhaps we can be of some assistance to you as well."

"Maybe, there is one thing you might be able to assist me with." I mentioned. At this point anyone with an answer would be fair enough.

"Oh, what is it you require?" Igor inquired politely.

"On occasion a strange voice rings out in my mind informing me of connections with others." I explained. "What exactly is that?"

"How intriguing it would seem you are also capable of forming social links." Igor chuckled to himself.

"Social links, why would I care about…" I started.

"You misunderstand Nyx." Elizabeth interrupted. "Social links are the cornerstone of our guests power, he possesses the wildcard a very special ability."

"Are you implying that by agreeing to live through this year with him I've also gained that wildcard ability?" I questioned.

"No, however I'm sure you've noticed what's been happening as you've formed these social links." Igor replied.

What's been happening, wait are they talking about that, I realized. "You mean Hades don't you?"

"Yes, these bonds are slowly but surely increasing the strength of your persona. In time they may reveal a new power within you." Igor said as the Velvet Room began fading. "Perhaps next time both of our guests will arrive together, until we meet again."

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"Come on, rise and shine Nami." Yukari repeated.

"Is there a reason you're getting me up at this ungodly hour on the one day we don't have to get up?" I asked coldly.

"What are you talking about, it's one in the afternoon." Yukari answered.

"Oh, I see." I replied before reluctantly getting up. "I'm guessing Mitsuru-sempai and Akihiko-sempai are out?"

"Yeah, they'll be back later though." Yukari mentioned. "Actually, there's one other place I remembered you might want to see."

"Somewhere else where we can be stalked?" I questioned. "I think I'll pass Yukari."

"No, I was talking about the shrine." Yukari explained quickly. "I doubt it'll be anything like last night."

"A shrine, why not it might be worth checking out." I admitted. A shrine to the gods, why not it might be worth looking at.

"Cool, I'll show you how to get there." Yukari said with a smile.

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"Oh hello." said a young boy.

"Hello, are you waiting for someone?" I inquired. I recognize him, what was his name though?

"No, I was just paying my respects at the shrine." the boy explained before walking off.

"Wow, he's mature for his age isn't he?" Yukari asked.

"You have a point, maybe we'll see him again." I mentioned.

"Maybe." Yukari said thoughtfully before her phone started ringing. "Oh hold on a second."

"It's fine." I admitted. I wonder, if what Igor told me is true then the bonds that Minato formed were what gave him the power to seal me away. There are too many questions and no answers.

As that thought crossed my mind I noticed Yukari closing her phone.

"Sorry about that, Mitsuru-sempai wanted to let us know that the doctor's think Minato might wake up tomorrow." Yukari explained. "They aren't sure, but there's a good chance he'll regain consciousness."

"That's a relief, I was starting to get worried about him." I replied. About time, there's quite a bit I need to talk with him about.

"Yeah, you said it was only a few hours last time but it's been days since he fainted." Yukari admitted. "To be honest I was starting to get a little worried he might not wake up at all."

"You have a point, but he's getting up so that's the important part." I mentioned.

"Yeah, you're right." Yukari said. "It's starting to get late so we should head back though."

"You have a point, after you." I stated calmly.

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"Huh, hey Nami." someone called suddenly.

"Yes?" I asked turning to see Junpei walking up to Yukari and me. "Is something wrong?"

"No nothing's wrong, I was just wondering if you knew when Minato was supposed to get up." Junpei replied. "I mean the guy passed out the first week of class and I guess I'm a little worried about him."

"You're worried about him, or worried you won't be able to have him bail you out when Miss Toriumi calls on you in class?" Yukari questioned.

"Yuka-tan, I'm hurt." Junpei exclaimed holding his hand over his chest. "No but seriously, I am worried about him, so is everything alright?"

"Hopefully, Mitsuru-sempai told us the doctors think that he might wake up tomorrow." I answered. "If he does I'll pass along the message that you were concerned."

"Right, well thanks." Junpei said before walking off.

(Igor has explained social links to Nyx, and Minato is starting to regain consciousness. Next chapter Minato will wake up and return to the dorm. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	10. Chapter 10

"I'll see you later Yukari, I have something to take care of." I explained calmly.

"Alright, I actually have to go work on a few things for the Archery club this year." Yukari mentioned before walking out of the classroom before my phone started to ring.

"Hello?" I inquired.

"Hello, is this Nami Xiang?" asked a male voice on the phone.

"Yes it is." I answered. "What may I ask is this about?"

"I'm one of Minato Arisato's doctors, you were listed as his emergency contact, you see his vital signs suddenly dropped drastically." the doctor explained. "I think you should come down as soon as possible."

"I see, alright I'll be right there." I mentioned before hanging up. What's going on with him now?

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"Nami, is everything alright?" Akihiko inquired.

"Oh sempai, I hope so." I mentioned. "I received a call from the hospital, I was heading there now."

"Is Minato alright?" Akihiko questioned.

"I don't know." I admitted. "I thought things would have improved but now I'm not sure."

"Then let's go see him, maybe they can tell us what's going on." Akihiko suggested.

"Hopefully." I agreed.

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"What's wrong with him?" Akihiko questioned.

"We aren't sure, his vitals have been unstable for the past several hours." the doctor explained. "They appear to have stabilized for now but it's incredibly unusual."

"That's good, but do you have any idea why it happened?" I asked.

"No, and that's the most dangerous part. Given the unusual nature of the situation you told us it's possible Minato could relapse at any time. If he does wake up it would be my strong suggestion he avoids strenuous activities for a while." the doctor suggested.

"We'll keep that in mind." Akihiko noted.

"Thank you for telling us about his situation." I added politely before walking out of the room with Akihiko. "Oh Yukari, are you here to see him?"

"Yeah, I finished up with the Archery club earlier than I thought so I decided to come pay Minato a visit." Yukari stated. "After everything that happened before I want to make sure he's alright."

"Right, we'll see you back at the dorm." Akihiko mentioned calmly.

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 _Minato POV_

"Huh, hey are you waking up?" asked a familiar voice as I slowly opened my eyes.

"Yukari, what are you doing here?" I inquired weakly. I guess Igor was right about my body not being as strong as it should be.

"I came to check up on you, Nami and Akihiko-sempai just left." Yukari explained. "So are you feeling alright?"

"I think so." I answered.

"That's a relief, you were sleeping for so long." Yukari mentioned. "Everyone was really worried about you."

"Sorry I worried you." I apologized.

"Well you remember why you ended up here right, what happened before?" Yukari inquired.

"You mean that monster, what happened back there?" I asked. Hopefully Nyx hasn't decided to bring the fall already.

"You saved my life, that creature was something called a shadow." Yukari mentioned. "The power you used to stop it and save my life, the power only certain people have access to, we call it persona."

"Persona, you mean Orpheus?" I guessed. "So that's what happened."

"Yeah." Yukari said quietly. "Hey, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about when you woke up. The thing is, I'm kind of like you."

"What do you mean?" I questioned. We're alike in more ways than you know Yukari.

"My dad died when I was little, and I'm not exactly on the best terms with my mom either." Yukari explained. "I know it's not exactly the same but I guess I know a little bit about how you must be feeling."

"Yukari, I'm sorry to hear that." I said quietly.

"Thanks, well enough about that." Yukari mentioned suddenly. "I should let the others know you're awake."

"Alright, thanks." I agreed with a small smile as Yukari walked out of the room.

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"Arisato, I'm glad to see you've recovered." Mitsuru noted. "When you get back to the dorm tonight come to the fourth floor."

"Alright." I agreed. I wonder if Nyx joined, that would make things interesting.

"Minato, I'm glad to see you're alright." Nyx stated walking up to us. "You had me worried this time."

"Sorry, I'll try to make it up to you somehow." I apologized.

"I just might take you up on that offer." Nyx mentioned before walking into the school.

Why do I have a bad feeling all of a sudden?

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"Hey Minato, glad to see you're back." Junpei mentioned walking up to me.

"Thanks, the doctor said I should try to take it easy but I've recovered enough to come back to school." I explained.

"That makes sense, well we should head to class." Junpei suggested.

"Yeah, you're probably right." I agreed before following Junpei into the classroom.

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"Welcome back Minato, you know why she wanted to see you right?" Nyx inquired.

"Yeah, to be honest I'm looking forward to it." I reflected happily.

"I take it this is when you're going to start demonstrating why your attitude towards life changed so abruptly?" Nyx guessed.

"Yeah, it is." I admitted. "The others are probably waiting for me so we should head up."

"Fair enough." Nyx stated calmly.

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"Ah, we've been expecting you." Ikutsuki stated calmly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than before." I answered. "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yes, but first what would you say if I told you a day consisted of more than twenty-four hours?" Ikutsuki inquired.

"Excuse me, what are you talking about?" I asked. The hidden twenty-fifth hour, the Dark Hour, of course I know what that is.

"I'm not surprised by your reaction." Mitsuru chuckled.

"The fact is you've already experienced it yourself." Ikutsuki explained. "Do you remember what happened the day you lost consciousness?"

"A bit. The moon was yellow and there was a strange creature, I think Yukari called it a shadow in the hospital." I answered. I remember if perfectly, just like everything else that's going to happen this year.

(Minato has finally regained consciousness and is preparing to join SEES. Next chapter Minato will receive his evoker and another student will arrive at the dorm. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	11. Chapter 11

"I'm not surprised, after what happened." Akihiko admitted. "In case you were curious that was the dark hour."

"Dark hour?" I questioned. "What are you talking about?"

"The dark hour is a hidden time between midnight and 12:01 that occurs each night." Ikutsuki explained. "Most people transmogrify into coffins and have no awareness during the dark hour."

"However, certain individuals have the ability to remain active during the dark hour. I take it you're aware of the reason?" Mitsuru inquired.

I glanced towards Yukari as if trying to recall something before turning back towards Mitsuru. "You mean persona right? Yukari said it's the power used to fight shadows."

"That's correct, persona users are the only ones capable of fighting the shadows." Mitsuru noted. "That's why I'd like you to join a rather unique school club, the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad."

"I don't know, it's a lot to take in." I replied. "We're the only ones who can do anything about the shadows?" 

"Yes, which is why we would greatly appreciate your help." Ikutsuki explained.

"Well if there's something I can do to help then I'll do what I can." I agreed.

"Thank goodness, I was afraid you would say no." Yukari admitted.

"I'm not surprised, Minato's always been willing to help others." Nyx commented catching my eye.

I remember Nyx, and now that we can go to Tartarus the real year can start.

"That's an admirable character trait." Mitsuru admitted. "Now then, you'll be in need of these from now on."

The moment Mitsuru said that, she placed a briefcase on the table in front of me with a red armband and an evoker in it.

"I take these are for SEES?" I inquired.

"Exactly." Akihiko mentioned. "Which means we're nearly ready, I can hardly wait myself."

"Akihiko, you know as well as I do that you're in no condition right now." Mitsuru stated.

"If you don't mind, what are you talking about Akihiko-sempai?" I asked.

"Up until recently, the only persona users we had were Mitsuru and Akihiko." Ikutsuki explained. "With the addition of you, Nami, and Yukari we're nearly ready to begin the exploration of Tartarus."

"Almost ready?" Yukari questioned just someone knocked on the door to the command room. "Huh, who's that?"

"You can come in, the door's open." Akihiko called.

"Right, just give me a second. This thing's heavy." replied a voice from outside.

"Wait isn't that Junpei Iori?" Nyx questioned. "Are you implying what I think you're implying?"

"Wait, Junpei has a persona?" Yukari questioned in disbelief before he walked into the room.

"Hey Yuka-tan." Junpei mentioned with a grin. "Hard to believe huh."

"You can say that again, you have a Persona?" Yukari asked in disbelief.

"Yeah he does, I found him last night." Akihiko answered calmly. "You probably all have some questions but we should get going."

"Going, what are you talking about?" Junpei inquired.

"You'll see." Akihiko replied calmly.

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"Huh, what are we doing here?" Junpei questioned. "This is just our school right?"

"Patience Iori, it's nearly time." Mitsuru answered. "Midnight is nearly here."

"Midnight, what's so special about…" Junpei started before the dark hour hit and the recognizable tower appeared before us.

"Is that Tartarus?" Nyx questioned with a look of remembrance in her eyes. "It's incredible."

"That's one way to put it." Yukari mentioned nervously. "This is where the shadows come from?"

"Yes, of course since it's the first time any of you have been here you won't be doing much more than a brief exploration." Mitsuru stated.

"Hold on a minute, what just happened to our school?" Junpei questioned. "Why'd it transform into a giant tower?"

"We don't know, but if there is an answer we'll find out when we reach the top." Akihiko said calmly.

"If you say so." Yukari mentioned before noticing Nyx. "Huh, is something bothering you Nami?"

"No it's nothing." Nyx answered. "We should head in though, we only have an hour right sempai?"

"Nami has a point, trust me it'll all make sense once we get inside." Akihiko said calmly.

"If you say so." Junpei mentioned quietly.

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"Wait is this Gekkoukan?" Yukari questioned.

"No, not anymore." Mitsuru replied. "This is Tartarus, the nest where the Shadows come from."

"Hold on, a nest?" Junpei asked. "I always knew school was evil."

"I think it's a little more complicated Junpei." I pointed out before looking towards one of the walls. There it is, the Velvet Room.

"For now, Akihiko and I will be staying behind." Mitsuru explained. "Which means you'll be in need of a leader for the time being."

"Awesome, just leave it to me." Junpei declared confidently.

"I don't think that's the best idea Junpei, you haven't summoned yours yet." Akihiko replied.

"Yeah but that's…" Junpei started before shrugging in defeat.

"Xiang, you'll be the leader." Mitsuru noted.

"Me, wouldn't Minato be a better choice?" Nyx questioned. "I'm not exactly a leader."

"Between the four of you, only you and Arisato were able to summon your persona without difficulty." Akihiko explained. "On top of that, you didn't lose consciousness."

"I see, in that case we should head…" Nyx started before pausing and looking towards the door to the Velvet Room.

"Huh, is something bothering you?" Yukari inquired before Nyx and I approached the door to the Velvet Room.

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"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Igor stated calmly. "We've been expecting you both."

"I take it that means you'll answer our questions now?" Nyx asked.

"Of course, what is it you'd like to know?" Igor inquired.

"Just what is happening to Hades?" Nyx questioned. "You mentioned that these social links were strengthening him and I can tell something's changed but what is it? He isn't any more powerful than that night I first summoned him."

"Wait, Nyx forms social links too?" I asked in surprise. I never expected that.

"Yes, however we unfortunately aren't aware of the specific nature of your social links." Igor stated. "That's something that only you can figure out."

"Why am I not surprised?" Nyx asked in annoyance.

(Nyx, Minato, Yukari, and Junpei are preparing to enter Tartarus, and Igor is starting to explain things. Next chapter SEES will enter Tartarus for the first time. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	12. Chapter 12

"Is there anything else you can tell us for now?" Nyx inquired.

"Somehow I don't think they'll tell us anything for now." I answered before turning to Igor. "Until we meet again?"

"Precisely." Igor replied with a smile.

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"What's wrong with you guys?" Junpei questioned. "You just spaced out and started staring at the wall like a pair of zombies."

"Yeah, are you two alright?" Yukari asked.

"We're alright, sorry about that." I replied.

"Nevermind that, we should head into Tartarus." Nyx stated calmly. "Do you have any idea what we should expect inside the tower Mitsuru-sempai?"

"None, though provided you stay on just the first floor the four of you should be able to handle whatever you encounter." Mitsuru explained.

"Right, in that case we'll just have to be careful for now." Nyx mentioned as her sword appeared in her hand. "Let's get going."

"Right behind you." I said as the four of us entered the tower.

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 _Nyx POV_

Me leading them through Tartarus, I wonder what else I should be expecting. Still, it's definitely a different experience climbing from the bottom instead of descending to the top.

" _Can you all hear me?"_ Mitsuru inquired as we walked down the hallway.

"Loud and clear sempai, but how are you talking to us?" Minato asked.

" _It's my Persona's ability, I can assist you in navigating Tartarus."_ Mitsuru explained.

"Navigating, you mean like telling us where to go?" Junpei asked. "Is this place that complicated?"

" _The layout of each floor changes from day to day, you need someone outside to help you navigate through Tartarus."_ Mitsuru explained.

"That makes sense, but does that mean you can tell where the shadows are?" I inquired.

" _Yes, and I can also determine their strengths and weaknesses."_ Mitsuru answered. _"In fact there should be a shadow just ahead of you."_

The moment Mitsuru said that, a black blob with a blue mask appeared in front of the four members of SEES.

"Huh, that's a shadow?" Junpei asked. "This should be easy."

I wouldn't be so sure. "Junpei be careful, they're more dangerous than they look. That's the kind shadow that appeared the day Minato and I awoke to our Personas." I warned as he slashed at the shadow only for it to split into two identical copies of itself.

"Great, any other bright ideas Stupei?" Yukari questioned while nocking an arrow on her bow.

"Hey there was only one when I saw it before." Junpei argued as we surrounded the shadows.

"Mitsuru-sempai, what are these things?" I asked quickly as one of the shadows tried to slash at Yukari with its claws only for her to jump back causing it to miss.

" _I'm not sure what their identity is, but they're weak to fire skills."_ Mitsuru informed us.

"Fire, right Orpheus." Minato called summoning his persona and setting one of the shadows on fire only for the other shadow to sneak up behind Junpei and knock him off his feet.

"Junpei." Yukari called nervously before holding her evoker to her forehead and closing her eyes. "Persona, Dia."

As Yukari said that, a blonde woman in a pink dress sitting on a large cow skull, appeared and Junpei began to glow before getting to his feet.

"Oh man, thanks Yuka-tan." Junpei mentioned. "Ok payback time you freak."

Just as Junpei said that, he ran towards the shadow Minato had set on fire and slashed it in half.

"Hades, Mudo." I called as a purple ring appeared around the other shadow before destroying it.

" _Excellent work."_ Mitsuru praised as Minato closed his eyes before smiling as he reopened them.

I'll have to ask him about that once we get back to the dorm. "Alright, next time we find a shadow Yukari can see what it transforms into before we rush in and attack it." I mentioned.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Minato agreed before we continued exploring the floor.

" _One moment, do you see a staircase nearby?"_ Mitsuru inquired suddenly.

"Yeah, is that what we're looking for Mitsuru-sempai?" Junpei asked.

" _Normally yes, however since none of you have ever been in Tartarus before you'll be staying on this floor for today."_ Mitsuru explained.

I suppose she's technically right, I never have been inside Tartarus. "That makes sense, in that case let's keep moving."

"Right behind you Nami." Minato stated calmly as we continued exploring the floor.

"Hey, is that a treasure chest?" Junpei questioned. "Nice."

"You should be careful Junpei, the chest might be booby-trapped." Minato warned.

"Right, thanks for the advice Minato." Junpei said before hesitantly opening the chest. "Huh, what's this supposed to be?"

"What is it Junpei?" Yukari asked.

"It's a bottle of some kind of weird liquid." Junpei answered before showing us the bottle. "What do you think it is?"

"I don't know, but we may as well hold onto it just in case." I suggested. "It might be useful later."

"Yeah, I guess so." Junpei admitted before a strange noise occurred around the corner. "Huh, what was that?"

" _There's a shadow near your current position, if you're careful you should be able to catch it off guard."_ Mitsuru informed us.

"Nice, time to take down more of those things." Junpei stated confidently. "Oh yeah you said Yuka-tan should get it's attention right?"

"Yukari's bow can hit the shadow from farther away than our swords Junpei." Minato clarified.

"I guess so." Junpei agreed reluctantly before grinning. "I'll just take them down with my persona."

Of course you will, I need to talk with Mitsuru after this. If I have to lead him around for more than one day I'll definitely go crazy.

"Are you alright Nami, you look unsure about something." Minato mentioned.

"It's nothing." I replied. There it is again. He knows I'm fine so why is he asking about me, wait don't tell me that's the reason.

" _Xiang, Arisato, the others need your help dealing with the shadows."_ Mitsuru mentioned suddenly.

(Nyx, Minato, Yukari, and Junpei have fought their first shadows in Tartarus. Next chapter Minato will reveal his unique power. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	13. Chapter 13

"Orpheus, Agi." Minato called as his persona appeared and set one of the three shadows surrounding Yukari and Junpei on fire.

"That was close, thanks." Yukari mentioned before Junpei slashed one of the other shadows in half.

"Are you both alright?" I inquired.

"Yeah, we could have handled this right Yuka-tan?" Junpei asked just as the one of the two remaining shadows struck him from behind.

" _This is dangerous, I detect several more shadows approaching your location."_ Mitsuru warned.

"Great, any bright ideas leader?" Junpei questioned while struggling to his feet.

"I have one, change Pixie." Minato called before a small winged creature in a blue leotard appeared above him. "Dia."

"What the, you have two personas?" Junpei asked in disbelief.

"We can worry about that later." I mentioned as four shadows appeared around a corner "Hades, Mudo."

"Alright, my turn." Junpei declared placing his evoker to his head and pulling the trigger. "Persona."

As Junpei said that a humanoid figure with two bladed wings attacked to its arms appeared above him before slicing one of the shadows in half.

"Yukari, behind you." Minato called quickly.

"Huh?" Yukari questioned before noticing a shadow behind her and shooting it with an arrow. "Thanks for the warning Minato."

"No problem, but we still have five left." Minato replied.

"Do you have any advice for us sempai?" I inquired.

" _Yes, these shadows are vulnerable to fire."_ Mitsuru informed us.

"Fire huh, leave this one to me." Junpei declared confidently. "Hermes, Agi."

"I'm right behind you Junpei." Minato added. "Change, Orpheus. Agi."

As Junpei and Minato said that, their personas appeared and enveloped the shadows in flames destroying all of them instantly.

"Wait, how did that work so quickly?" Yukari questioned. "The last time Minato's persona set the shadow on fire it still survived."

"I'm not sure, but I'm definitely not going to complain." I admitted. That's weird; it looked like the two Agi spells combined before hitting the shadows. Well either way at least now I have an excuse for Minato to be the leader.

" _Impressive work, I detect no more shadows on this floor."_ Mitsuru informed us. _"There should be an escape route somewhere on this floor, I suggest you split up an search for it."_

"Well you heard her, if anyone finds that escape route let the others know." I mentioned before the four of us split up.

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 _Minato POV_

"Weren't we supposed to split up Junpei?" I inquired.

"Yeah, but I wanted to talk to you, besides Yuka-tan went with Nami anyway." Junpei mentioned. "How the heck can you use more than one persona?"

"Now that you mention it that is weird, maybe it has something to do with how I collapsed before?" I suggested.

"Maybe." Junpei considered before a large grin appeared on his face. "Hey take a look, treasure straight ahead."

" _The others have located the escape route and are waiting for you."_ Mitsuru informed us as Junpei opened the chest to reveal a bottle of medicine.

"Darn I thought there might have been some treasure in there." Junpei complained. "Well you heard Mitsuru-sempai so let's get going."

"There must be more chests in here, some of them should have treasures." I reassured him.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Junpei agreed. "Let's get going, maybe our leader can figure out what to do with this."

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"Well, how do you all feel?" Akihiko inquired.

"Honestly, I feel exhausted." Yukari admitted. "That took a lot more out of me than I thought it would."

"Yeah, Yuka-tan's right." Junpei mentioned. "My whole body feels like it weighs a ton."

"I see, what about you two?" Mitsuru asked turning to Nyx and me.

"It was more exhausting than I expected, but I think I can handle this." I replied.

"I agree, but actually something strange happened while we were fighting the shadows." Nyx commented.

"You mean how Arisato was able to use a second persona correct?" Mitsuru inquired.

"I do." Nyx stated calmly. "I think that kind of power would make Minato a better leader than me."

"I see, and I take that you two would be alright with this change?" Mitsuru asked turning to Yukari and Junpei.

"That's fine with me." Yukari answered.

"Whatever, oh yeah I found this while we were in there." Junpei mentioned before handing Mitsuru the medicine.

"It looks like some kind of salve or something that would be in the nurse's office." Akihiko noted.

"I agree, it may come in handy on our explorations through Tartarus." Mitsuru said. "Though the dark hour is nearly over so we should head back to the dorm for tonight."

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"Ok, what exactly happened in Tartarus tonight?" Nyx questioned me as we walked up to the dorm.

"What do you mean, you already knew I could use more than one persona." I whispered back.

"I mean when you were staying into space." Nyx replied. "No wait let me guess, it has to do with them doesn't it?"

"Something like that, sometimes after fighting the shadows cards will appear in front of me." I explained. "Then I can pick up one of them and it turns into different things, including new personas."

"Well that explains it." Nyx noted calmly.

 _Thou hast strengthened thy genuine bond… Its power leads you to a new fate… Thou shalt be further blessed when fusing a Persona of the Universe Arcana._

"Yeah, but we should get some sleep. We still have class in the morning." I mentioned only for Nyx to glare at me and walk into the dorm.

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"Hey Minato, can you believe everything that happened last night?" Junpei questioned eagerly.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool." I admitted. "This is going to be a year none of us will forget."

"You're right about that, oh yeah what happened between you and Nami last night?" Junpei inquired suddenly.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You guys were talking on the way back but then she just sent straight to her room without saying anything to anybody." Junpei explained.

"Oh, I just reminded her we had to get up for school. Nami's never been a morning person, that's probably why last night wasn't a problem for her." I mentioned.

"Huh, well alright then." Junpei said as we walked into the school.

(Minato has revealed the ability to use multiple personas and has been made the leader in Nyx's place. Next chapter Minato will re-form a social link. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	14. Chapter 14

"You're the transfer student right, mind if I ask you something?" inquired a voice from behind me.

"Huh?" I questioned before turning to see a familiar face standing behind me. Oh that's right, Kenji introduced himself today.

"It's nothing bad, I mean you and that girl Nami both live in the same dorm as Yukari right?" Kenji clarified. "I was just wondering if Yukari had said anything about having a boyfriend."

"Oh, no I don't think she said anything one way or the other about that." I answered.

"I see, well whatever. See you later, oh yeah I almost forgot to introduce myself." Kenji mentioned. "I'm Kenji Tomochika, I'll see you later."

"Alright, see you Kenji." I mentioned before he walked off as Nyx approached me.

"So that was the Magician, I would have guessed it would have been the other one." Nyx commented.

"You could tell?" I inquired. "Kenji represented my bond of the Magician arcana last time. Wait, what do you mean the other one?"

"You didn't notice?" Nyx questioned. "Junpei Iori's arcana is the Magician as well. I would have guessed it would have been him."

"Now that you mention it that is strange." I admitted. Wait a minute, Nyx is also forming social links so maybe…

Suddenly the bell started ringing.

"We can talk about this tonight." Nyx decided before walking towards the classroom.

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"Hey are you busy today?" Kenji inquired walking up to me.

"I don't think so, why?" I asked.

"Then you want to grab a bite to eat?" Kenji suggested.

"Sure, do you know anywhere we could go?" I inquired.

"Yeah, come on." Kenji mentioned before the two of us walked out of the classroom. "Have you ever been to Hagakure?"

"The ramen shop, no I passed it once or twice but I haven't been there to eat yet." I replied.

"Oh then you are in for a treat." Kenji said calmly. "The food there is incredible."

"I'll take your word for it." I mentioned calmly.

"Yeah, there must be some kind of secret ingredient or something that they use." Kenji explained calmly.

"That sounds delicious." I admitted.

"Yeah, you're in for a treat." Kenji stated with a grin.

 _Thou art I… And I am thou… Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana._

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Kenji mentioned suddenly. "You and Nami seem real close."

Huh, he's asking about Nyx instead of Yukari? "We're just good friends." I explained.

"Well fair enough." Kenji accepted. "Well here we are so let's eat."

"Sounds good to me." I agreed with a smile.

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"Oh there you are, Mitsuru-sempai wanted to talk with you when you got back." Yukari mentioned.

"Oh, thanks for letting me know Yukari." I replied. She must want to talk about when we can go to Tartarus.

"No problem." Yukari said calmly. "She should be in the command room on the fourth floor."

"Actually she was talking with me." Nyx clarified as she walked down the stairs with Mitsuru. "Something strange has been happening to Hades so I thought I'd ask her if she had any idea what it was."

"According to Xiang, every night her persona has been getting weaker." Mitsuru explained.

"Weaker, but what about the shadows?" Yukari questioned.

"I'll be fine, it's not a huge issue but I've definitely noticed it recently." Nyx answered.

"Well if you say so." Yukari stated hesitantly.

"You wanted to talk to me about something Mitsuru-sempai?" I inquired.

"Yes, I assume you were planning on exploring Tartarus tonight?" Mitsuru asked.

"I was thinking it might be a good idea." I admitted. "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing like that, however I will be unable to assist you tonight." Mitsuru explained. "I trust you understand."

"What Mitsuru-sempai is trying to say is that something came up involving the Kirijo group so she has to head out for tonight." Yukari interjected.

"Takeba is right." Mitsuru admitted. "I apologize for the inconvenience."

"It's alright, I understand that things come up." I mentioned.

"I appreciate that." Mitsuru stated before walking out of the dorm.

"Do you mind if I talk to you for a minute Minato?" Nyx requested suddenly.

"Oh, sure thing Nami is everything alright?" I asked before following her upstairs. What's going on, is she calling off our deal.

"It's almost here you know." Nyx mentioned calmly.

"You mean the next full moon, it's just over two weeks away." I replied before the realization hit me. "Wait, you mean the new moon."

"Of course I mean the new moon." Nyx stated. "Except, there's something else."

"Something else?" I questioned. "Do you think Igor or Elizabeth might know what's going on?"

"I don't know." Nyx admitted. "Maybe."

"Well there's another door at the back of the alley next to the police station in Paulownia mall. Maybe we can ask them tomorrow." I suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." Nyx said quietly before going to her room.

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 _Nyx POV_

It doesn't make any sense, why would my persona…

"Nami, are you alright?" Akihiko inquired from outside my door.

"I'm alright sempai, just a bit tired." I responded lazily.

"Alright, because you looked kind of worried earlier and I wanted to make sure you were ok." Akihiko said calmly.

"Thanks." I replied.

"Well if there's anything we can do to help you just let us know alright." Akihiko offered.

"I will sempai, you don't need to worry about me though." I mentioned before hearing him walk away. Universe and Lovers, I know exactly what those Arcana mean but what's going on with Hades, he felt so much more powerful when he first appeared but now… something's wrong.

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"Morning Nami." Junpei stated calmly. "Huh, is everything alright? Oh yeah, you aren't a morning person."

"No I'm not." I mentioned. "Actually do you think we'll get a chance to practice tonight?"

"I hope so, Hermes and I are more than ready to get back into that tower." Junpei whispered confidently. "I mean, who knows what's waiting for us inside."

"You have a point." I noted. You have no idea what's waiting for us inside Tartarus.

(Minato has reformed his Magician social link with Kenji, but something unusual is happening to Nyx. Next chapter Elizabeth will reveal what's happening to Hades. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	15. Chapter 15

"Xiang, do you have a minute?" Mitsuru inquired walking up to us.

"I think so, actually I wanted to task you something." I admitted. "It's about student council."

"I see, actually I had asked Arisato the same thing last night and he agreed to join." Mitsuru noted.

So he joined, that must mean another one of his social links was in the student council. "Then that makes both of us, if I get the chance I'll help out too."

"Hold on, both of you are joining the student council?" Junpei questioned.

"It would seem so." Mitsuru stated calmly. "Were you planning on joining as well Iori?"

"Me, I don't think so sempai." Junpei answered before the bell started to ring and we walked off to our classrooms.

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"So you both joined student council?" Yukari inquired. "Was that Mitsuru-sempai's idea?"

"She just asked if we could join, the decision was ours." Minato explained.

"You could say that." Junpei added with a grin. "Nami actually decided to join after Mitsuru-sempai said you'd joined Minato."

"It was mostly a coincidence." I mentioned. "I was actually planning on joining either way."

"Yeah, don't get any weird ideas Stupei." Yukari agreed before I started to walk out of the classroom. "Huh, where are you going Nami?"

"I had something to take care of after school today, I'll see you back at the dorm." I replied. Hopefully one of them can explain what's going on.

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"Welcome to the Velvet Room, now then how can we be of assistance?" Igor inquired calmly.

"Something's wrong with my persona." I explained as a card of the Death Arcana appeared in front of me. "For the past few days Hades has been getting weaker."

"Weaker, what do you mean?" Elizabeth asked curiously. "Do you mean fighting the shadows has been progressively more difficult?"

"No, but I've definitely felt something happening to Hades." I answered.

"Do you think it has anything to do with the approaching new moon?" Minato inquired.

"The new moon, it's possible that could be the explanation." Igor noted thoughtfully. "However there is another possibility."

"What do you mean?" I asked before cards of the Lovers and Universe Arcana appeared in front of me.

"Well, this is certainly an unexpected development." Elizabeth noted calmly.

"Are you going to explain what's going on or not?" I questioned.

"It has to do with the bonds Nyx has been forming, am I right?" Minato inquired.

"Precisely, it stands to reason that Nyx has lost a great deal of her former strength in order to experience a year as a human." Igor explained before turning towards me. "Of course, that also means your potential is even greater than it has ever been."

No, I didn't lose my strength. I willingly gave it up, but still something feels off.

"The Universe Arcana, but that only represents the bond between us." Minato noted.

"True, however you originally gained the power of the Universe Arcana as the culmination of all your bonds." Elizbeth explained. "This new bond may represent a way to achieve an even greater power for both of you."

"Now then, is there anything else we can assist you with?" Igor inquired.

"No, but we appreciate the information." I stated calmly.

"Then until we meet again." Igor replied politely.

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"Welcome back, Arisato were you planning on going to Tartarus tonight?" Mitsuru inquired.

"Not tonight, but I think we should rest for tonight." Minato replied.

"Huh, are you kidding?" Junpei asked. "Why shouldn't we go to Tartarus tonight?"

"We went fairly recently, and to be completely honest if we go to often and exhaust ourselves we could end up in a lot of danger." Minato justified.

"True, then again the longer we wait to get stronger the more likely a powerful shadow will show up and we won't be able to stop it." I countered. "We can't just sit around forever."

"See, Nami and I are in complete agreement." Junpei noted with a grin. "So we should go to Tartarus tonight."

"You guys have a point, in that case we'll definitely head to Tartarus tomorrow." Minato suggested.

"Alright, but I'm holding you to that." Junpei stated.

"Xiang are you certain going to Tartarus is the best idea, you did tell me your persona is getting progressively weaker." Mitsuru noted.

"That's exactly why we should go to Tartarus sempai, if Nami's persona is getting weaker it means we need to train even harder so we're ready for the stronger shadows." Junpei argued.

"Exactly, Junpei's right." Akihiko agreed. "Instead of sitting around we should head back into Tartarus."

"Are you trying to make me angry Akihiko?" Mitsuru questioned. "You're still recovering from your injuries after all."

"Yeah I know." Akihiko admitted in annoyance.

"I guess waiting until tomorrow isn't the worst thing we could do." Junpei admitted.

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 _Minato POV_

"So are we going to the student council today Minato?" Nyx inquired. "You formed another bond there didn't you?"

"Two actually, then again I wonder if our bonds are the same." I admitted. "You mentioned that Junpei represented the Magician Arcana but I never did form a social link with him."

"Are you suggesting the magician social link I form will be with him?" Nyx questioned. "Who else in SEES did you ignore?"

"What do you mean?" I inquired. I didn't ignore them, did I?

"I mean should I be expecting the Emperor Arcana to be represented by Akihiko as well?" Nyx clarified.

"I don't think so, but…" I started before the bell started to ring.

"I suppose we can discuss this tonight before we go to Tartarus." Nyx stated calmly. "Though I'm still waiting to see just what it was that convinced you that the Fall wasn't something worth accepting."

"I remember, it took me a long time to come to that decision the first time too." I admitted. Actually it wasn't until we saved Fuuka that I even gave it much thought, but the fact that we were actually saving someone's life really put things in perspective.

(Igor and Elizabeth have given possible answers to why Hades is getting weaker and Nyx and Minato have officially decided to join the student council. Next chapter they will both form the Emperor social link, and SEES will return to Tartarus. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	16. Chapter 16

_Nyx POV_

"Oh, Nami and Minato is there something I can do for you two?" miss Toriumi inquired.

"We were told to come talk with you about joining student council." Minato explained.

"That's right, Mitsuru told me you two would be joining. I just need you both to read and sign this." miss Toriumi explained before handing a form to both of us.

So she represents the Hermit Arcana, interesting.

"Here you go." Minato mentioned before handing our forms back to miss Toriumi.

"Ok, I'll take care of the rest. Good luck to you both in student council." miss Toriumi stated calmly.

"Thank you." I replied before walking out of the faculty office with Minato. "So she's the Hermit?"

"Yeah, I think that link should start soon." Minato admitted. "Actually, I was giving it some thought and I think I know when things started to change."

"Oh, and when exactly would that be?" I questioned. "It's been nearly a month since we awoke and so far I'm beginning to wonder if this was all just a waste of time."

"It was when we saved Fuuka." Minato answered quietly. "It didn't hit me until then."

"That was during the next full moon correct? Which means it's going to take another month before things start to make sense." I noted as we walked up to a door. "It this it?"

"Yeah, Mitsuru-sempai's probably letting the others know we joined." Minato said before opening the door revealing Mitsuru speaking with a group of students.

"Xiang, Arisato I appreciate you two agreeing to help." Mitsuru noted calmly.

"So you two are the ones we've been hearing so much about?" inquired a grey-haired boy. "My name's Hidetoshi Odagiri."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Chihiro Fushimi." mentioned a brunette girl with glasses. "I'm the student council treasurer."

"Well it's nice to meet you both, is there anything we can do to help?" Minato asked.

"Not for now, but if the president recommended both of you I'll be expecting great things." Hidetoshi explained.

 _Thou hast created a new bond… Its true strength has opened to you… Thine power of the Emperor Arcana has increased._

"We'll do our best not to disappoint you." I stated calmly before meeting Minato's eye. So he formed it as well, then this is the bond of the Emperor Arcana he formed last time.

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"So you two are involved with the student council huh?" Junpei inquired curiously. "That means you have some influence with the teachers right?"

"What are you implying Iori?" Mitsuru questioned calmly. "You aren't planning on having Arisato or Xiang manipulate your grades are you?"

"Of course not, I was just joking." Junpei mentioned. "Hey why don't we head back to Tartarus, we never know when another one of those powerful shadows might show up."

"That's true, maybe I'll head up with you this time." Akhiko suggested with a grin.

"Out of the question, you still haven't fully recovered Akihiko." Mitsuru stated.

"I know, you don't have to remind me." Akihiko noted in frustration. "Still, the more training you guys get the better prepared we'll be in case another one of them shows up."

"You mean like the one from the night we awoke to our Personas right?" Minato inquired.

"Exactly, we were lucky once but we shouldn't take risks if one of them shows up again." Akihiko replied.

"I guess that settles things doesn't it Minato?" I asked calmly.

"Very well, we'll head to Tartarus tonight." Mitsuru stated.

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"Hey Nami, can I talk to you for a minute?" Yukari asked suddenly.

"Huh, what's on your mind?" I inquired.

"It's just, something about all of this seems wrong. I want to trust Mitsuru-sempai but…" Yukari started before looking at the ceiling. "I just wish she'd tell us what's going on, I mean she must have her reasons but still."

"You think she knows more than she's telling us?" I guessed. "Well for now there's really only one thing you can do."

"I know, thanks." Yukari mentioned with a small smile.

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 _Minato POV_

"So what do you think we'll find in Tartarus tonight?" Junpei questioned with a smirk. "Hermes and I are ready to go all the way to the top."

"I don't know, but as long as we work as a team we'll be sure to get to the top floor." I answered. If we're lucky we might make it to the first teleporter tonight.

"Yeah." Junpei agreed as Nyx and Yukari walked up to us.

"What's got you so excited all of a sudden?" Yukari inquired.

"Why wouldn't I be excited?" Junpei questioned. "We're heading back to Tartarus where we have awesome powers."

"He has a point, most people don't know the dark hour exists." Nyx noted.

"You're beginning to sound like Akihiko, this isn't a game Iori." Mitsuru stated calmly.

"I know, but you have to admit it's exciting sempai." Junpei mentioned. "We've only been to the first floor so who knows what secrets could be hiding in that tower."

"That's the reason we're heading to Tartarus tonight." I explained. "To see just what's waiting for us in there."

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" _Be on your guard, I detect a group of powerful shadows above you."_ Mitsuru noted cautiously.

"No problem, we can handle anything." Junpei stated confidently. "So where are these strong shadows Mitsuru-sempai?"

" _I'm not entirely certain, though there is something else."_ Mitsuru noted.

"That's alright, as long as we're careful we should be ok." I replied just as a shadow appeared in front of us.

"Alright, leave this one to me." Junpei declared before drawing his evoker. "Hermes."

As he said that, Junpei summoned his persona and it flew towards the shadow slicing it in half.

" _Impressive work Iori."_ Mitsuru commented calmly. _"I don't detect any shadows in your immediate vicinity so for now you should focus on locating the stairs."_

"Right, in that case let's start looking." Nyx stated calmly.

"Yeah, you're right." Yukari agreed as the four of us journeyed into Tartarus for the second time.

(Nyx and Minato have formed the Emperor social link, and the members of SEES have returned to Tartarus in an attempt to get as high as they can. Next chapter the members of SEES will reach the first teleporter. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	17. Chapter 17

"Look out behind you." Yukari called before shooting an arrow towards a shadow only for it to miss and the shadow to hit Junpei.

"Hades, Mudo." Nyx stated calmly before placing her evoker at her temple and summoning her persona just before it destroyed the shadow persona destroyed the shadow, while I helped Junpei to his feet.

"Thanks, I should have been more careful." Junpei admitted. "That won't happen again though."

" _Be on your guard, I detect more shadows approaching your location."_ Mitsuru warned.

"Are you serious?" Yukari questioned. "We still have three more in front of us."

"Junpei, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I inquired while drawing my evoker.

"I'm right behind you." Junpei agreed.

"Persona, Agi." Junpei and I said at the same time as our personas appeared and enveloped the three shadows in flames.

"That takes care of that, but…" Nyx started just before the sounds of rattling chains echoed through the floor.

"Huh, hey do you guys hear that?" Junpei inquired.

"We need to find the stairs now." I said quickly before sprinting down a side path. What's going on, why is that thing here this quickly?

" _Be extremely careful, something incredibly powerful is rapidly approaching your location."_ Mitsuru mentioned nervously.

This is really bad, if that thing catches us then…

"Hey, look the stairs are right there." Junpei called suddenly.

"Quick, we need to get to the next floor." I yelled before running up the stairs after Junpei.

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 _Nyx POV_

That feeling, so Death is already here.

"What was that back there?" Yukari questioned.

"No idea, but the way those chains were rattling it sounded kind of like a ghost." Junpei suggested only for Yukari to glare at him.

"Don't be an idiot, there's no such thing as ghosts." Yukari snapped.

" _Be on your guard, there's a source of great power on the next floor."_ Mitsuru informed us.

"Ok, in that case we should split up and try to find the stairs quicker." Minato stated.

"That sounds good, so you're going with Nami then?" Junpei inquired with a grin.

"That actually makes sense Junpei." I pointed out. "If Yukari strikes a shadow with an arrow and disorients it you can move it to finish it off."

"Huh, that makes sense." Yukari said thoughtfully. "Well in that case let's going Junpei."

"I'm right behind you." Junpei mentioned before the two of them ran off.

"So that's how you knew when Death was nearby?" I inquired as Minato and I started walking in the opposite direction Yukari and Junpei had ran in.

"Yeah, the Reaper." Minato answered. "It's one of the three most dangerous things I've ever fought in Tartarus."

"Three most dangerous?" I questioned. That shadow was definitely weaker than my avatar but…

"Look out." Minato shouted suddenly before shoving me to the ground just as a flame appeared where I was standing.

Again, just what is he doing? He knows that wouldn't have done anything to me.

"Change, Apsaras." Minato called as a female persona with blue skin appeared above him. "Bufu."

"I appreciate your concern, but I…" I started before noticing the look in his eyes. Another persona, no wonder he was so powerful when we fought last time, this is the fourth one.

"Are you alright?" Minato inquired suddenly.

"I'm fine, though we should keep moving." I pointed out. "The sooner we find the stairs the less likely the Reaper will show up again."

"Yeah, you're right." Minato admitted.

" _Iori and Takeba are in danger."_ Mitsuru mentioned suddenly.

"Then what are we waiting here for?" I questioned before running after Minato. These are the people who managed to hold off my avatar, clearly whatever it was that made Minato want to keep living also must have somehow made the others much more powerful.

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 _Minato POV_

What's going on, why are the shadows so much more aggressive this time?

"Io, Dia." Yukari called desperately from around a corner to see Junpei and Yukari surrounded by shadows.

"Darn it, how many of these things are there?" Junpei questioned angrily.

"Hades, Mudo." Nyx called while summoning her persona and destroying one of the shadows before Junpei slashed at another one with his sword.

"Thanks, I don't know what happened one minute we were looking for the stairs and spotted a treasure chest and the next we were completely surrounded." Yukari explained just before a shadow hit her from behind with its claws.

"Orpheus, Apsaras." I called out feeling the familiar sensation as the two personas emerged from my being. "Cadenza."

"You can use two at the same time?" Junpei questioned in disbelief as a green glow appeared around the four of us.

"We can worry about that later, we still need to find a way out of this before more shadows show up." Yukari interrupted.

"Agreed, or whatever that thing from the last floor was." Nyx agreed thoughtfully.

" _Be on your guard, I detect more shadows approaching your location."_ Mitsuru mentioned suddenly.

"Junpei, we need to take these shadows down quickly." I called while placing my evoker at my temple.

"Yeah, I know." Junpei answered before drawing his evoker.

"Agi." Junpei and I yelled together just as Orpheus and Hermes appeared and a massive flame enveloped the shadows.

"That was way too close, thanks." Yukari mentioned.

"It's no big deal, but we need to find the stairs before more shadows show up." I mentioned.

"Right, I think I know where they are." Yukari said. "Junpei and I passed a hallway a while back."

"Alright, lead the way." I suggested as Yukari led us through the floor of Tartarus before we arrived at the stairs.

"Huh, so there's something powerful up there?" Junpei inquired with a grin.

" _Don't underestimate the enemy Iori, I detect three incredibly powerful shadows on that floor."_ Mitsuru warned as we climbed up the stairs. _"Wait a moment, that device in front of you."_

"Huh, you mean that green thing?" Junpei inquired before walking up to it.

"What do you think this is?" Yukari asked before the teleporter started glowing and a green flash of light enveloped us.

(The members of SEES have arrived at the first teleporter in Tartarus, but the shadows are unusually aggressive. Next chapter, Minato and Nyx will speak with Igor, and the battle with the Venus Eagles will begin. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	18. Chapter 18

"Huh, what are we doing back here?" Junpei questioned as we ended up back on the first floor with Mitsuru-sempai.

"That device must allow you to travel to certain floors of Tartarus instantaneously without having to climb each floor every time we return." Mitsuru noted. "It may be to our benefit to keep our eyes open for more of them as we progress."

"That makes sense, it would definitely make reaching the top floor more viable." Nyx admitted.

"Yeah, but what makes this floor so special?" Yukari inquired. "I mean not only is there a teleporter, but there were only three shadows."

"Maybe there's something special on that floor." Junpei suggested.

"It's possible, nut we should still be careful." I mentioned before glancing at Nyx as the two of us walked towards the Velvet Room door.

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"Welcome to the Velvet Room, now how can we be of assistance?" Igor inquired with a grin.

"Something strange is going on in Tartarus." I replied. "The shadows are incredibly aggressive even on these low floors, and on top of that the Reaper has already made an appearance."

"I believe you already know the answer to that." Igor stated calmly.

"It's because of me, the shadows are drawn to my power is that what you're suggesting?" Nyx guessed.

"Wait, but didn't we replace Nyx with your brother Elizabeth?" I asked. Did something happen, is the Fall going to happen sooner than before?

"Yes, however Nyx still retains some of her former powers in the form of Hades, had all of her powers been granted to Theodore she would be unable to experience the Dark Hour at all." Elizabeth explained. "If that were the case, this entire year would be meaningless would it not?"

"In other words the shadows are more aggressive because they sense Nyx, but the fall still isn't going to happen until January 31st?" I asked. "What about the full moon shadows?"

"The same should apply to every shadow, of course you still possess the power of the Universe." Igor noted. "Nothing is outside the realm of possibility for you."

"I remember." I replied.

"Of course we will still provide any assistance we can to either of you." Igor stated with a smile. "Now, is there anything else you need our assistance with?"

"Not for now, but thank you again." I answered politely.

"Then until we meet again." Igor said calmly.

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 _Nyx POV_

"Hey, are you guys spacing out or something?" Junpei questioned. "The Dark Hour is nearly over and we still need to take down those three shadows Mitsuru-sempai told us about."

"Hold on Junpei, she said they were powerful." Yukari mentioned. "What do you two think?"

"It's worth a try, if something goes wrong we can just teleport back here and try again later." Minato noted.

"Yeah, but why wait?" Junpei asked. "I mean we need to get to the top anyway and this will show us how much stronger we've gotten fighting all the other shadows."

"You have a point, with how many shadows we've had to fight there's no doubt our personas are getting stronger." I noted.

"That's true." Yukari mentioned. "Ok, but if things start getting dangerous we should leave alright?"

"Deal." Minato replied. "Well then, let's head back up."

As Minato said that, he approached the teleporter only for a flash of green light to envelop us.

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" _I don't detect any additional shadows on this floor, it may be that the three shadows in the center are guarding something."_ Mitsuru informed us.

"Guarding something, that sounds like a treasure to me." Junpei replied enthusiastically as we approached the center of the floor.

"They could be guarding a treasure, then again there's only one way to find out for sure." Minato pointed out.

"In that case let's keep our eyes open for…" Yukari started as we turned a corner to see three bird-like shadows.

" _Be extremely cautious the enemy is far stronger than I initially thought."_ Mitsuru warned.

"So what, we outnumber them this time." Junpei mentioned confidently before firing his evoker. "Hermes, Agi."

As Junpei said that, his persona appeared and enveloped one of the shadows in flames only for it to flap its wings and disperse the flames easily.

"Ok, so fire isn't their weakness." I noted. "Then let's try something else. Hades, Mudo."

As my persona appeared, a purple ring appeared around another of the shadows only to shatter instantaneously.

"Come on, what are these things weak to?" Junpei questioned only for one of the shadows to turn towards him and envelop him in a gust of wind, sending him crashing into a wall.

"Well, I somehow doubt wind is going to work very well against them now." Minato noted. "Pixie, Dia."

"Then do you have any bright ideas?" Junpei questioned before one of the shadows flew towards him.

"Junpei." Yukari called just before shooting the shadow with one of her arrows causing it to collapse to the ground.

"That's it, these shadows are weak to your arrows Yukari." Minato mentioned only for one of the remaining shadows to strike at Yukari with its claws keeping her from drawing another arrow.

"Yuka-tan." Junpei called nervously.

"Orpheus, Apsaras, Cadenza." Minato said just as the two personas appeared and a green glow enveloped the four of us. "Now Junpei, just like last time."

"Yeah, good idea." Junpei agreed as the two of them drew their evokers.

"Agi." Minato and Junpei called simultaneously as a massive flame enveloped the shadows only for them to flap their wings and dispel it a second time.

" _Be careful, something strange is happening to the shadows."_ Mitsuru mentioned suddenly.

The moment Mitsuru said that, the three shadows began glowing before flapping their wings simultaneously creating a massive vortex of wind that knocked Junpei out cold.

(Igor has revealed the reason behind the shadows increased aggressiveness and their connection to Nyx, and the members of SEES have started the battle with the Venus Eagles on the fifth floor of Tartarus. Next chapter the battle will end, and the treasures the Venus Eagles are guarding will be revealed. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	19. Chapter 19

Great, as if these three weren't irritating enough now they've learned to attack together. "Yukari, how many arrows do you have left?"

"I still have plenty, but what about Junpei?" Yukari asked.

"Leave him to me." Minato answered running to Junpei as Yukari fired two arrows into two of the shadows only for the third shadow to dodge the arrow.

" _Something's wrong, the shadows are preparing something."_ Mitsuru warned suddenly just as the shadows began glowing as the two Yukari knocked down flew up to join the third.

"Ok what are they doing now?" Junpei inquired hesitantly.

I have a bad feeling I know exactly what they're planning.

"Everyone we need to guard ourselves!" Minato warned as a purple orb appeared above the shadows.

So that's what they meant, the shadows are more aggressive because of my presence. It makes sense that stopping the fall wouldn't be as easy as climbing the tower normally.

Suddenly the purple orb fell to the ground and a blinding flash of purple light enveloped the area.

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 _Minato POV_

Megido already, that's really bad. We're nowhere near strong enough to deal with that.

"Is everyone ok?" Yukari asked weakly.

"I'll let you know when the room stops spinning." Junpei replied.

"Mitsuru-sempai, do you have any idea what that was?" Nyx questioned.

" _No, but it was incredibly powerful. If the shadows try it again the results could be devastating."_ Mitsuru answered.

"Yukari, if you see any of the shadows start to glow hit it with an arrow." I said quickly.

"Huh, right." Yukari agreed before drawing another arrow as one of the shadows turned towards her only for her to shoot it with her arrow.

"Hades, Dia." Nyx called before a faint glow appeared around Junpei.

"Huh, thanks Nami." Junpei replied before Yukari shot the other two shadows with arrows knocking them all to the ground.

"Now's our chance, don't let them get back up." I mentioned quickly.

"I was thinking the same thing." Junpei agreed before the four of us ran towards the shadows and attacked them before a gust of wind forced us back and one of them flew back into the air. "Just one left, this will be easy."

" _Something strange is happening, the shadow is much weaker than it was before."_ Mitsuru mentioned suddenly.

Weaker, why would the shadow suddenly be weaker?

"Weaker huh, well I'm not complaining." Junpei noted with a grin. "Minato, let's take them down."

"Right behind you Junpei." I mentioned as Orpheus and Hermes appeared above us.

"Agi." Junpei and I called as the final shadow was engulfed in flames before being destroyed.

"That was way too close, and we've barely climbed any floors." Yukari mentioned as Junpei walked ahead.

"Hey you guys, check it out." Junpei called. "Those shadows were guarding some kind of treasure."

"Treasure, what do you mean?" Yukari asked as we walked up to Junpei as he opened a treasure chest.

"Huh, it's just a chain of beads." Junpei mentioned.

"It might come in handy." I mentioned. "Then again, for now we should head back."

"You're probably right, who knows how strong the shadows will be on the next floor." Nyx agreed. "Besides, none of us are in any shape to keep going."

Well, we probably could go up a bit higher but it wouldn't be the best idea.

" _I agree, come back for now."_ Mitsuru advised before the four of us went back to the teleporter.

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"Oh man, are the shadows just going to keep getting stronger and stronger?" Junpei asked nervously.

"That's the most likely outcome, but those shadows were significantly more powerful than the ones on the previous floors. It may be that they were specifically guarding that floor." Mitsuru pointed out. "It may be that the shadows on particular floors are more powerful than the ones below or above them."

"Do you think it has to do with that teleporter?" Yukari inquired. "It was the first floor we found one."

"That's possible, and if these more powerful shadows are linked to the teleporters it would allow us to return and prepare prior to engaging them in battle." Mitsuru noted.

"That's good at least, but right now I just need to head back to bed. This was crazy." Junpei mentioned before yawning.

"I agree, we can try to get to the next teleporter tomorrow." I suggested.

"Ok, that sounds good to me." Yukari agreed as we left Tartarus.

"You could have kept going right?" I asked Nyx.

"Of course I could have." Nyx answered. "Though to be completely honest, I doubt I'd have made it all the way to the top floor."

"That makes sense, none of us can get past the 16th floor anway." I mentioned. "There's a barrier preventing us from going any higher until we fight the priestess shadow."

"So that explains why it took you until the 31st to reach me last time." Nyx noted. "We should have at least another five days to reach the 16th floor though so that's plenty of time."

"Yeah, it should be." I agreed.

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"Oh man, that was crazy last night." Junpei mentioned as we walked up to the school. "Are they all going to be that tough?"

"They're probably going to get even tougher." I mentioned. "Whatever it was they did at the end was way too dangerous, if we hadn't been prepared it could have been a lot worse."

"Yeah, maybe we should try spending more time on the floors so we're strong enough when we reach the next teleporter." Yukari agreed.

"That makes sense, but right now we need to focus on our classes." I pointed out.

"Why did you have to remind me of that?" Junpei asked. "Oh yeah, did you ever figure out what that bead necklace was?"

"Not yet, but I have a feeling it'll come in handy tonight." I answered.

"That's true, after all with everything else that's happened in that tower a bead necklace could do almost anything." Nyx agreed as the four of us walked into the school.

(The members of SEES have defeated the first Guardian in Tartarus. Next chapter Minato will form a new Social Link. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	20. Chapter 20

"So now what are you guys up to?" Junpei inquired.

"Well, to be perfectly honest I was thinking of joining one of the sports clubs." I mentioned. "Any recommendations Yukari?"

"Well I'm in the archery club but its full so maybe the track team or kendo?" Yukari suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea, either one should help out tonight." Junpei agreed.

"True, either improving his stamina so he can lead us farther through Tartarus, or it'll improve his skill with a blade." Nyx noted.

"That's true, what about you Nami?" Yukari asked. "Do you think you might join a sports team?"

"I doubt it." Nyx answered. "I'm not the most athletic person and even less so during the day."

"I don't know Nami, you never know what kinds of people you might meet in those clubs." I pointed out only to shudder as Nyx glared at me.

"I suppose you have a point." Nyx stated in annoyance.

"Huh, well if you three are heading to clubs I'll see you back at the dorm." Junpei mentioned before walking out of the classroom.

"Well, since we're all heading to the same place why don't we head over now." Yukari suggested.

"That sounds good to me." I mentioned calmly.

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"So have you decided what club you might join Nami?" Yukari inquired.

"Something that won't require excessive effort." Nyx answered. "Which from the look of things means either tennis or volleyball."

"That makes sense, I'm sure you'll be great at whichever one you pick." Yukari mentioned.

"She has a point, as for me I'll be joining the track team." I said calmly. "It might be helpful for later."

"Maybe, well I should head to the archery club so I'll see you two later." Yukari mentioned before walking off.

"This is another one of them isn't it?" Nyx questioned. "A Social Link that you forged in order to gain the strength to oppose me."

"Yeah, Kazushi Miyamoto of the chariot arcana." I answered. "Though something tells me that's another bond that we won't be sharing."

"I see… still you've already proven that you're a lot more powerful than you were the night you reawakened to your power so there might be merits to these Social Links." Nyx admitted.

 _Thou hast strengthened thy genuine bond… Its power leads you to a new fate… Thou shalt be further blessed when fusing a Persona of the Universe Arcana._

"Yeah, you're right about that." I agreed before heading out to the track.

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"Alright, everyone gather around." called a teacher in a green tracksuit as the members of the track team walked up. "This is Minato Arisato, he'll be joining the track team."

"It's nice to meet you all." I added politely as the only girl in the group walked up to the coach and me.

"Minato, allow me to introduce the track team's manager Yuko." the coach explained.

"Hello, I'm Yuko Nishiwaki." Yoko smiled. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Kazushi." the coach called suddenly.

"Yeah coach?" asked one of the members of the track team.

"Minato allow me to introduce the future captain of the track team, Kazushi Miyamoto." the coach said introducing him. "He's a great runner and scores extremely well in competitions."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I mentioned.

"You two are in the same class, so do you mind keeping an eye on Minato?" the coach asked.

"No problem." Kazushi smiled. "Oh yeah, aren't you one of the two transfer students? You and Nami right?"

"Yeah, we're really good friends and both transferred here." I answered.

"Cool, well I hate to be the one to tell you this but from now on you're mine after school. You may have joined the team mid-season but that doesn't mean I'll be going easy on you." Kazushi mentioned.

"I'll keep that in mind." I replied with a smile.

 _Thou art I… And I am thou… Thou shalt have out blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Chariot Arcana._

"Well, it's your first day so why don't you watch for now and see how practice goes. You can start running tomorrow." Kazushi said calmly.

"Alright, if you say so." I noted as the rest of the team stretched out and started running laps.

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"Oh, you're back." Yukari mentioned. "Nami was just telling me about a new friend she made in the tennis club."

"I was… pleasantly surprised when Rio told me she was willing to meet later in the day to assist me." Nyx clarified. "Though I wouldn't use the term friend considering we just met."

"Huh, it sounded like you two were friends." Yukari pointed out.

"Nami doesn't immediately make new friends." I explained. "It can take some time, but once she gets to know you she's one of the greatest friends you can have."

"That's really cool, so how long did it take you two to become friends?" Junpei inquired.

"It took quite some time." Nyx answered while meeting my eye.

Ok, note to self don't take this any farther or she might decide our deal isn't worth it.

"Anyway, you guys probably aren't up for heading to Tartarus are you?" Junpei questioned.

"I don't think tonight Junpei." I replied. "We should head back there tomorrow though."

"If you say so." Junpei mentioned before taking out a game system as I walked up to my room.

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"What was that?" Nyx asked walking into my room.

"You mean not going to Tartarus tonight, well we could take it but I think a day's rest could help Yukari and Junpei." I answered.

"You know that isn't what I meant, what did you mean?" Nyx questioned. "We are not friends, you're simply attempting to show me why I shouldn't bring the end of the world."

"I know, and to be honest I can't really explain it. You said it yourself that I was calling for it before I arrived here. Maybe that has something to do with why I'd like to actually be friends." I admitted before pausing. Wait, I want to be friends with Nyx? When did that happen?

Nyx narrowed her eyes at that before turning and walking out of the room.

(Minato and Nyx have both formed the Social Link of the Chariot arcana, but Minato is starting to realize that he might want to become Nyx's friend. Next chapter the members of SEES will prepare to enter Tartarus again. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	21. Chapter 21

"Hey, did something happen last night?" Junpei inquired as we walked up to the school. "I mean Nami looked pretty irritated at you this morning."

"I know, I think I said something that upset her last night. I'll try and talk to her about it." I replied. How am I going to convince Nyx that I was serious, there's something different and I really do want to be her friend. Stopping the end of the world, piece of cake. Getting through to her on the other hand, that might be a bit tougher.

Those thoughts circled in my head as Junpei and I walked into the classroom and the classes passed by without any significant incident, that was at least until Nyx walked up to me.

"Minato, we need to talk." Nyx stated bluntly and I flinched back into my seat before nodding.

"Yeah, you're probably right." I agreed before following her out of the classroom.

"That doesn't look good." Junpei's voice echoed as the door started to close behind us.

"For once I agree Junpei." Yukari's voice added before the door closed completely and Nyx led me to the roof.

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"Wjy?" Nyx asked as she stared off of the roof of the school. "What kind of reason would there have been for you to say that?"

"It's the truth, my personal feelings about the Fall changed as I made more friends and my bonds with them grew. Yeah I gained power but that power was something I knew I would use to keep my new friends safe." I replied before closing my eyes as the words came to me. "Besides, after all the time we spent together unable to interact beyond a few words wouldn't it be natural that I would want to try to become your friend. It's better than the alternative, isn't it?"

"You mean spending eternity hating each other as you hold me back from ending the world." Nyx stated with a frown. "I suppose you have a point, it would be a preferable option. So what, we're just magically friends now?"

"No, but that's the first step. I'm more than willing to make time to get to know you." I offered as Nyx turned and looked at me in surprise. "I mean, there's no better way to become friends then to actually spend time together."

Nyx just continued to stare at me in shock before the smallest of smiles appeared on her face.

"That's true, alright." Nyx replied. "Though for now we should pick up some items, we have quite a way to go in Tartarus correct?"

"Yeah, we do." I smiled.

 _Thou hast evolved thy genuine bond… Its power leads you to a new fate… Thou shalt receive new blessing when fusing a Persona of the Universe Arcana._

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 _Nyx POV_

How he managed it I will never know but Minato walked out of the drugstore with enough medicine to get us through at least another five floors of Tartarus. Still, the sooner we reach the next guardian the better.

"You're thinking about tonight aren't you, it'll be fine we still have eight days before the full moon." Minato mentioned.

"I'm well aware of that, I was actually thinking we might make it to the next guardian tonight." I pointed out.

"Maybe, but before we go back to the dorm I wanted to pay Igor and Elizabeth a visit." Minato mentioned.

A visit to them, it likely has to do with what happened earlier. I understand what forming one of these social links means, and I also understand that spending time with them strengthens me and Hades but what does evolving a bond even mean, if the look on his face was any clue it's never happened to him before either. "Actually, I was planning on speaking with them as well, something's been bothering me for a little while now."

Minato looked surprise before nodding and offering his hand. "Well then, shall we pay our friends a visit?"

What exactly is he… Oh right, well I suppose this is as good a start as any. Taking his hand, I walked with Minato into the Velvet room once again.

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"Welcome to the Velvet Room, now how may I be of assistance?" Igor inquired with that same grin on his face.

"Actually, something different happened earlier. I felt as though one of my Social Links was strengthening but instead…" Minato started.

"The Social Link wasn't strengthened, it evolved." I finished. "I take it you know what that means?"

"I do; however, this is an incredibly rare occurrence." Igor answered. "A social link can only evolve under very specific circumstances."

"What circumstances?" I questioned.

"A pre-existing Social Link must be re-created." Igor stated calmly. "Under nearly all circumstances the bonds that you form with others are the source of your strength, however if the nature of such a bond is altered the Social Link will evolve into a new form and the power created from this new bond will far exceed that of the original Social Link."

"Then it's the same as having the Social Link start from scratch?" I inquired. That's somewhat irritating but it's too late to object now.

"Is that all you would like to ask me?" Igor inquired.

"For now, thank you." Minato replied as we exited the Velvet Room.

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"Oh, there you guys are." Junpei smiled. "Well, what's the call, we heading to Tartarus?"

"Yeah, we just need to grab our equipment and then we'll head out." Minato answered. "The sooner we reach the top the better right sempai?"

"You have a point, very well we'll return to Tartarus tonight." Mitsuru agreed.

Five more floors, the last time we were there I sensed a shadow that was significantly stronger than the ones we've been fighting before. "What about you Yukari?"

"I have to pass tonight, sorry you guys." Yukari answered.

"It's alright, the three of us will head in then." Minato mentioned.

"Right, just be careful." Yukari mentioned.

"We will be, you don't need to worry about us." I replied calmly. Things won't get difficult until later, when the shadows actually start to put up a fight.

(Minato and Nyx have evolved their Social Link, and now SEES is preparing to return to Tartarus however Yukari isn't going with them this time. Next chapter one of the new powers of the Universe Social Link will be revealed. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	22. Chapter 22

"Are you three adequately prepared?" Mitsuru inquired while setting up her navigation equipment.

"Yeah, let's get moving." Junpei grinned. "I'm looking forward to taking down more of those shadows and get stronger."

"Well then shall we Minato?" I inquired as he nodded and the three of us teleported back into the tower.

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" _I don't detect any shadows on this floor, it seems the shadows you fought previously were the only ones."_ Mitsuru informed us.

"Right, in that case let's keep moving." Minato mentioned. "Mitsuru-sempai, can you tell if the shadows are as strong as the ones were on this floor?"

I doubt they will be, but still it's worth being sure.

" _It's getting more difficult to be certain, but the shadows feel stronger than the ones on the previous floors, though the shadows on the fifth floor were significantly stronger than anything I can sense at the moment."_ Mitsuru answered.

"Right, in that case we should be on our guard." I suggested only for a group of three shadows to approach us.

"Don't worry, leave these guys to me." Junpei stated confidently. "Hermes!"

As he said that Junpei's Persona appeared and enveloped one of the shadows in flames only for the other two to surround him.

"Orpheus." Minato called as his persona appeared only for him to freeze as an image of Hades appeared over his persona.

What the, why is Hades there?

" _Something strange just happened, are you all alright?"_ Mitsuru questioned just as Orpheus turned to one of the shadows and destroyed it with Mudo.

"Ok, what just happened?" Junpei questioned. "First Nami's persona shows up around Minato's and then Minato's persona manages to use Mudo. What's going on?"

"If we knew that we would tell you, though if it helps us get through the tower I'm not complaining." I answered.

" _We can try and figure that out later, right now you need to defeat the remaining enemies."_ Mitsuru instructed just before one of the shadows attacked Junpei.

"Hades, Dia." I called as my persona appeared and starting healing Junpei while Minato slashed at the third shadow with his sword. Something tells me this is what they meant by the power far exceeding the original Social Link.

"Alright, now I'm mad." Junpei stated getting to his feet. "Hermes, take them down!"

As he said that Junpei's persona appeared again and sliced one of the remaining shadows in half as we surrounded the last one.

"Shall we end this?" I inquired as Minato nodded in agreement and we struck the shadow from three sides destroying it instantly.

"Ok, what's going on?" Junpei asked again.

"We've been friends for years, maybe that has something to do with it." Minato answered quickly before meeting my eye as I nodded.

"He has a point." I added. "We've known each other for a lot longer than any of you so maybe our Personas are effected by that."

"So it's another power you guys have that we don't." Junpei mentioned in annoyance. "Let's just find the stairs."

I somehow think it's a one-sided power, Minato's wildcard ability at play again.

"That makes sense, let's keep moving." Minato agreed thoughtfully.

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 _Minato POV_

This is bad, we still haven't found the stairs to the eighth floor and the shadows just keep coming.

"Hermes, Agi." Junpei cried nervously as his persona appeared and set one of the countless shadows on fire only for three more to appear and take its place.

" _You need to run, there are simply too many enemies."_ Mitsuru stated quickly.

"You two heard her, we need to go." I shouted just as Nyx turned to the shadows and Hades appeared above her.

"I'm starting to get irritated." Nyx stated coldly as a Mudo skill enveloped her sword.

Ok, this is going to be bad.

"Nami, what are you doing?" Junpei asked only for Nyx to swing her sword destroying a huge number of shadows before dropping to her hands and knees.

"Nami!" I called running to her side. "What just happened?"

Nyx turned and looked at me in surprise before taking a deep breath. "I used some of my former power, but it seems my human body is still too weak to handle the strain."

Her former power? Wait does she mean when she was the goddess of… when she was acting as the goddess of night instead of a member of SEES?

"Whoa, that was nuts." Junpei mentioned before glancing at Nyx and me. "So is that another one of these special powers you two have because of how close you were?"

"Not exactly, it's more like Nami tried something risky and it paid off for her." I answered. Though given how she's a goddess I somehow doubt it would have failed.

"Risky huh, then we should be able to try the same thing?" Junpei inquired. "Setting my sword on fire and then wiping out a whole group of shadows in one blow?"

"I… don't know, I didn't even know Nami could do that." I admitted while helping Nyx back to her feet.

"You can try, but I wouldn't recommend it." Nyx agreed. "It takes quite a bit out of you."

" _Are you able to continue Xiang?"_ Mitsuru inquired. _"If you're exhausted we should stop until Takeba can rejoin you."_

"I'm alright." Nyx replied. "Just not used to doing something like that."

"If Nami says she can keep going we can keep going." I mentioned. "We'll just have to be careful moving forward."

" _Very well, but be cautious. The enemies are getting more powerful and more aggressive the higher you get in Tartarus."_ Mitsuru warned.

"Got it sempai." Junpei grinned. "We'll keep our eyes open."

The moment Junpei said that he turned a corner and walked right to the stairs.

"Of course the stairs were right next to the endless army of shadows." Nyx noted in annoyance before turning to me. "What are the odds more powerful shadows are on the next floor?"

"I doubt it, the last powerful ones were on the fifth floor so if I had to guess the next ones will be on the tenth." I replied as the three of us climbed to the ninth floor of Tartarus.

(Minato, Junpei, and Nyx are continuing to climb through Tartarus and the powers of the Universe Social Link are revealing themselves. Next chapter the three of them will reach the tenth floor of Tartarus and return to the dorms. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	23. Chapter 23

"What was that you were saying about not encountering powerful shadows?" Nyx questioned as another group of shadows charged towards us. "Hades, Mudo!"

The purple ring appeared around one of the shadows before destroying it.

" _Arisato is correct, I detect much stronger shadows on the next floor."_ Mitusuru informed us. _"You need to be careful."_

Ok, we need to try something risky if we're going to get past all of these shadows. "Junpei, Nami, I have an idea that might give us some breathing room."

"Huh, what do you mean?" Junpei inquired as Nyx turned and met my eye before nodding.

"Mudo with a double dose of Agi. If we're lucky it'll blow up the shadows and give us a chance to catch our breath." I explained. "Though I think we're only going to get a single chance to try this."

Nyx nodded in agreement before turning towards the shadows and slightly tightening her grip on her sword.

" _Be extremely careful, if this doesn't work you won't have the strength to get away from the shadows."_ Mitsuru warned us.

"Then we just have to make sure it works, on three right you guys?" Junpei asked.

I nodded. Well, here goes nothing.

"One, two…" I started while keeping my eyes on the two of them and the rapidly approaching group of shadows… "Three! Orpheus, Agi!"

"Hermes, Agi!" Junpei called quickly.

"Hades, Mudo." Nyx stated just as the three personas appeared and the purple ring appeared in the middle of the shadows before flames struck it creating a massive explosion. Out of pure instinct I shoved Nyx to the ground just as everything went black.

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 _Nyx POV_

This human body isn't strong enough to handle another blast like that, then again he thought fighting me was a good idea so I suppose I should expect him to try more crazy things like that the farther up we get in this tower.

"Oh man, remind me not to agree to doing that one again." Junpei requested while shaking his head. "You guys alright?"

"A bit shaken up, but I'll survive." I answered as the two of us got to our feet only to pause when Minato didn't say anything.

" _What's going on up there?"_ Mitsuru asked nervously as I turned to see Minato on the ground against a wall not moving.

"This is bad sempai, he's out cold." Junpei answered nervously. "Minato's unconscious."

"Sempai, you mentioned there was a powerful shadow on the next floor, right?" I inquired.

" _Xiang without Arisato your strength is considerably lower than it could be. Even at full strength it would be a difficult battle."_ Mitsuru pointed out.

"I know, but if it's like the last floor with a powerful enemy on it there should be a teleporter too." I explained.

"Huh, oh yeah that's right." Junpei mentioned. "We can use that to head back without fighting our way down the other eight floors."

At least he understands that much. "Junpei, can you give me a hand with Minato?"

"Huh, oh yeah no problem." Junpei replied as I knelt down and he helped Minato onto my back. "You sure you can carry him yourself?"

"I'm fine, this is hardly the first time something like this has happened and it won't be the last." I answered. Still, that's another time he risked his own life for me, just what's going through his head?

" _I don't detect any enemies in the immediate vicinity but be on guard, Arisato is out of commission which means your strength is significantly reduced."_ Mitsuru informed us.

"We will be." I replied before turning to Junpei. "Come on, we need to find the stairs quickly.

"Yeah, you're right." Junpei agreed as the two of us continued through the floor before eventually reaching the stairs.

"There should be a teleporter up there." I mentioned calmly as the two of us climbed the stairs. That is, assuming what Minato said is accurate.

"Hey look, there's one right there." Junpei mentioned before turning to me. "Let's go back."

I simply nodded to show I agreed with his plan as the green glow enveloped us

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As the green glow faded we were back on the ground floor of Tartarus with Mitsuru who ran towards us.

"What happened to Arisato?" Mitsuru asked quickly.

"We may have blown up a bunch of shadows… and ourselves." Junpei answered. "Two Agi spells plus a Mudo equals a pretty big explosion."

"In other words tonight was simply us not conserving our strength at all." I added. "Still, we all managed to get out alive which is a good thing."

"I suppose you have a point." Mitsuru admitted. "In that case we should head back to the dorm."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." I agreed before following her out of the tower.

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Just what in the world are you thinking, I can handle that kind of thing without your help, and all you managed to do is get yourself injured.

"You two are really close, aren't you?" Yukari inquired walking in and looking at the unconscious Minato.

"We've been friends for a long time, it's only natural we'd get along." I replied. "Still, I try and tell him not to act so reckless." If he ends up dead, then this entire year will be pointless.

"That's not what I meant Nami." Yukari mentioned. "Have you ever thought that maybe, Minato and you are such good friends and he does things like this because he has deeper feelings for you?"

Feelings, what are you talking… "Wait Yukari, are you saying Minato might actually like me?"

"He might, I mean has he done things like this often?" Yukari inquired.

"No, then again we haven't been in situations like this before." I answered before turning to Minato. Is that even possible, the first thing he ever said was that he found me beautiful and I don't recall him mentioning anyone he missed more than the others, is it really possible? Do I want it to be? I need to ask him about it once he wakes up

(Minato was knocked unconscious by an explosion in Tartarus but SEES has reached the tenth floor of Tartarus, meanwhile Yukari has suggested to Nyx that Minato may be starting to have romantic feelings for her. Next chapter Minato will regain consciousness and Nyx will confront him about why he's always acting to protect her despite being the weaker of the two of them. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	24. Chapter 24

How long are you going to be unconscious, we need to talk Minato. You're taking things too far and we don't have much time left before the Full Moon.

"Xiang, I understand your concern but he woke up once before and your quick thinking managed to get him out before more shadows arrived." Mitsuru pointed out calmly. "Given some rest you should be able to return to Tartarus tomorrow night."

"Hopefully, the sooner we get to the top the better." I replied before looking at the moon outside.

"You should get some reset yourself." Mitsuru advised before walking out of the room.

"Huh, Nami?" Minato suddenly inquired weakly before sitting up. "We're back at the dorm?"

"We are." I answered looking at him. "We need to talk Minato Arisato."

"I know, it's not making much sense as to why exploring Tar…" Minato started.

"Not that, I'm talking about that stunt you pulled in Tartarus earlier tonight. You shoved me from the blast, why?" I questioned.

"You were the closest to the explosion, I didn't want my friend to be…" Minato started.

"Hurt? You know better than anyone I wouldn't have been injured by that. What's going on in that head of yours?" I asked. "This isn't the first time either, do you think that I'm that much weaker because I look like this, would you prefer I bring about the Fall right now and be done with it?"

"No!" Minato answered quickly before taking a deep breath. "I don't know why I… when I saw you might be hurt I knew it wouldn't really do anything to you but I just felt I had to keep you safe."

You had to keep me safe? That's not… then is it really true? It would hardly be the first time someone has fallen for me but Minato is different.

"Nyx, are you ok?" Minato suddenly inquired. "You look worried about something."

"Minato, if I ask you something are you going to be honest with me?" I asked. If it is love like Yukari suggested… no that doesn't make any difference. He's just another mortal and yet, he's different from all the others.

"Of course I would be honest." Minato answered. "What is it?"

"I'm a goddess, and so it would hardly be a surprise but have you fallen for me like countless others?" I questioned bluntly.

Minato's eyes widened in shock before he looked down quickly. "I… you're beautiful like I said and the more time we spend together… I didn't find love before that happened and yet I…"

"So in other words the answer is yes. Despite what happened, what I was attempting…" I started only for Minato to suddenly grab my hand.

"I know you were bringing the Fall, but you weren't doing it because you wanted to harm people. I don't blame you for any of that." Minato interjected quickly before smiling. "Besides, if you really just wanted to end the world you wouldn't have given me this chance in the first place."

Minato, he… "You truly are different from all of the others. I don't know if I share your feelings but I appreciate your honesty." I mentioned with a small smile before walking out of the room. He loves me, and yet… why does this feel so much different from the other people who claimed the same thing?

"Xiang, how is he?" Mitsuru inquired.

"Oh, sempai. Minato's doing well, we were just talking briefly." I answered. Love, I've heard so many people say they love me but… is the difference this time just that our relationship ends with him sealing me away, or is it something else?

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 _Minato POV_

Did I just tell Nyx that I love her? "No, this is just a hallucination from the blast. I'll wake up, I mean if I actually said that then she would destroy me. I'm not even close to strong enough to…"

Suddenly the door opened and I turned to see Mitsuru and Yukari walking in.

"Arisato, you're awake?" Mitsuru inquired. "Are you injured?"

"A little tired, but aside from that I'm ok." I answered. "The last thing I remember is our plan blowing up in our faces."

"That's putting it mildly, we all got pretty badly banged up from that but you managed to shove Nami out of the way of the blast so she was able to get us to the teleporter." Yukari explained. "You two are really close, aren't you?"

"Well yeah, we've been friends for as long as I can remember." I answered. Then again, am I really falling for Nyx? The last time I went through this so many girls proclaimed they loved me but I never really felt that way about any of them, I should have told them but I just didn't have the heart. I won't make that mistake again.

"Not friends, I think you and Nami might have feelings for each other. You two care for each other a lot and you've been trying to keep her safe while we're in Tartarus too." Yukari pointed out.

"Takeba does have a point. Your actions in Tartarus have shown a rather high concern for Xiang's safety as have hers towards you." Mitsuru added.

"Honestly, that's just because we're really good friends." I told them. Really good friends, no it is true and I do love Nyx. The year has barely started and we haven't even made it to the first one of them but still…

"Well either way you and Xiang are both invaluable assets to our team, so make sure you're well rested for tomorrow. I'm detecting something unusual a few floors higher in Tartarus." Mitsuru explained.

"Got it, don't worry sempai. We'll reach the top." I smiled.

"I admire your confidence." Mitsuru smiled back before walking out of the room with Yukari.

Falling in love with Nyx, I never would have dreamed that would happen and yet, I'm glad it did. Looking up at the moon, I never really gave it much thought, but it really is beautiful just like she is.

(Minato has come to the conclusion he loves Nyx and at the same time Nyx is trying to figure out if she feels the same way or if she just respects his strength as the Great Seal. Next chapter Nyx and Minato will continue working on their Social Links. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


	25. Chapter 25

"You sure you're ok man? I mean after what happened even I think it might be a good idea to take things easy." Junpei admitted as we walked to school.

"I'll be ok as long as we don't blow ourselves up again." I mentioned with a smile. "Then again I have a feeling you guys won't let me try something like that again."

"No we won't." Nyx mentioned walking up. "Though shall we assist Student Council before our explorations tonight?"

"Huh, yeah that sounds like a good idea to me." I nodded. Nyx wants to work on one of her Social Links, or does she just want her time to be worth something? Well I guess it could give us an excuse to talk on the way back about… certain things.

"Well, if you guys are doing that then I guess I'll just make sure I'm ready." Junpei shrugged as we walked into the building.

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 _Nyx POV_

If this is what humans do all day I'll never understand why they chose to oppose the Fall, then again considering what happened the other… No I can't let that of all things get under my skin, I've heard it all so many times it means nothing. Doesn't it?

"Nami, are you alright?" Yukari whispered suddenly as I turned to her. "You look like something's bothering you, do you want to talk after class?"

"I'm fine, just a bit tired." I admitted. "I'll be fine later."

"Well, if you're sure about that." Yukari relented. "Just let me know if you need anything ok?"

I just nodded before closing my eyes. Something's going on, I need to get back to Tartarus tonight… and make sure he doesn't blow himself up again.

"Nami, you mentioned helping Student Council today?" Minato asked before walking up to us.

"Huh, oh yeah you're right." I agreed. "Then shall we go?"

"That makes sense to me." Minato nodded. "We'll see you guys back at the dorm."

"Alright, see you guys later." Junpei replied as I followed Minato out of the classroom.

"Minato, we need to talk." I told him. "You of all people should know that I've heard more people tell me they…"

"I know, and to be honest it doesn't really surprise me." Minato interjected. "I shouldn't really be surprised, so many people claimed to love me and I just let them without setting the record…"

"Is that what you think? This is just some form of karma for your actions?" I questioned in annoyance. "Yes I have heard confessions of love by countless people, though I'll admit yours is quite a bit different."

"Different, what are you…" Minato started before his eyes widened. "Wait a second, you mean like we're equals?"

Equals, I hadn't thought much about it but could that be the case? "I wouldn't say equals, not yet anyway but by the end of the year who knows? This new power you're obtaining… that I'm obtaining may change that."

Minato's eyes widened in shock hearing that before smiling. "Yeah, I suppose you have a point."

 _Thine bond of the Universe has grown… the true power of the Arcana is opening to you…_

"Of course I do." I mentioned. The true power of the Arcana, I suppose I even truly understood half of it before.

Minato chuckled before we reached the Student Council Room and walked inside.

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This could not possibly be more mundane, though if the goal is to pass the time I suppose it manages to do that much.

"I recognize that look, don't worry there's more than just a little paperwork." Minato mentioned. "Nothing super interesting yet but they'll all improve."

"By all, you mean the Social Links?" I asked. "Somehow that doesn't entirely come as a surprise."

"I guess it wouldn't." Minato admitted before Hidetoshi walked up to us.

"Do you two have a minute?" Hidetoshi inquired.

"Yeah, is something going on?" Minato asked curiously.

"Not exactly, it isn't anything serious but I wanted your opinions on something. Some of the students feel the school uniform should be abolished and are gathering supporters." Hidetoshi explained.

"They're gathering supporters for that?" I questioned in shock. He said once we rescue that girl from Tartarus things will improve but how could anyone enjoy living through this kind of mundane existence… especially knowing what he did.

"Nami's right, it seems like a waste of time in my opinion." Minato added causing Hidetoshi to smirk.

"You two are right, they think that life without rules is freedom. It's just ridiculous." Hidetoshi explained.

"You have a point." I admitted. "Life without rules allows freedom but it lacks structure and descends into chaos."

"That's exactly right." Hidetoshi nodded. "I'm glad we're on the same page about this."

"Then that makes three of us, the fact is the rules are there for a reason." Minato added.

"Exactly." Hidetoshi agreed.

 _Thine bond of the Emperor has grown… the true power of the Arcana is opening to you…_

Emperor, and from the look of things Minato just experienced the same thing.

"Well, we should be going." Minato mentioned. "Still, we'll try and stop by on occasion to lend a hand."

"Right." Hidetoshi nodded calmly.

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 _Minato POV_

"Well Minato, do you think we'll be getting to that point in Tartarus before it shows up?" Nyx inquired. "We have to reach the top floor before the promised day after all."

"I remember, and as long as we're cautious and the four of us conserve our strength as much as possible we should be able to make it." I replied. If Nyx managed to get me out of Tartarus that should mean we're at the tenth floor and that means we're almost done with the first block.

"Should be able? You mean because of the increased aggression of the shadows correct." Nyx noted.

"Yeah, fortunately we've almost reached the first barrier. If memory serves it was on the sixteenth floor so we should be able to get their pretty easily." I recalled before pausing. "Well, in the next four days we shouldn't have too much trouble."

Nyx just stared at me before nodding as we continued towards the dorm.

(Nyx and Minato are continuing to strengthen their Social Links as they prepare to explore Tartarus with the rest of SEES. Next chapter the members of SEES will return to Tartarus again and attempt to reach the next teleporter. As always any reviews or critique is appreciated.)


End file.
